Return of the Ruby
by Peonywinx
Summary: Ruby's escaped from Takron Galtose and she's returned to the 21st century with a vengeance. This time, she plans to alter the future to her liking and to the extreme detriment of all heroes, and she's after the one person who can help her do it - Jinx.
1. All Together Again

**_A/N: Yes! It's finally here - the long awaited sequel to _**_One Year Before **and **The Threat of the Ruby. **Before we begin the third and final installment of my **A Hero Prophecy_ **_series (yes, that's what I'm calling it), I would like to thank all who reviewed on my previous two stories. I don't have time to list all their names here at the moment, but to each and every one, you have my gratitude, appreciation, and heartfelt thanks for helping me to improve. I would also like to thank those who came up with ideas that allowed me to recover from my writer's block and continue writing. Without you, this story would not have been possible. So thank you once again, and enjoy the story that you helped to create._**

* * *

**Return of the Ruby**

**Chapter 1**

It was a quiet, ordinary morning in Jump City. On an island not far from the coast, upon which was a giant T-shaped structure, lived the city's five protectors.

The Teen Titans were hanging around, being normal teenagers for the moment. Cyborg was competing with Beast Boy in a racing game at the main computer. Starfire was busy cooking up another weird Tamaranian recipe involving pink glop and a slimy, wriggly, bluish-purple thing, which nobody except she would eat. Robin was attempting to fix a radio, and Raven, as usual, was curled up in a corner with a book.

They were not expecting the sudden flash of bright light that erupted in the middle of the room. Cyborg and Beast Boy jumped, causing their video cars to crash into each other, Robin broke a circuit, Starfire spilled her mixture, and Raven shut her book with a loud _thump_.

Once the light faded, they could see five figures: a redhead with a cybernetic arm, a girl with long blonde hair and pink eyes, a brunette with a gothic look, a furry, masculine figure, and a green-skinned guy.

Robin took one look at the redhead and his jaw dropped. "Lightning Lad?" he said incredulously.

"Hi." Lightning Lad shook hands with Robin.

"Oh, this is a joyous occasion!" Starfire cried in delight as she hugged Saturn Girl. "I have missed you, friends!"

Cyborg high-fived Timber Wolf. "Good to see you again!"

"Hiya, Phantom Girl", Beast Boy said, holding out his hand to shake hers and then nearly falling over when there was suddenly nothing to grip.

Phantom Girl grinned impishly. "Hi, Beast Boy."

Brainiac 5 cleared his throat. "A-hem. I wish this were just a social visit", he began solemnly. "However, we're here because we need your help."

"Let me guess", Raven said in a monotone. "Ruby's escaped from jail?"

Saturn Girl sighed. "Unfortunately, yes."

"Man!" exclaimed Cyborg. "Why can't _any _villain _ever _stay in jail?"

"I think it's hardwired into their brains or something", Timber Wolf said with a small, wry smile.

"Whatever the case, this time Ruby's scheme directly involves you", said Phantom Girl.

"Us?" said Robin, looking confused and apprehensive. He instinctively stepped closer to Starfire, whom Ruby had kidnapped once before.

"Well, one of you in particular", Phantom Girl amended.

"Who?" asked Beast Boy. "Is it Starfire again? Or Bumblebee?"

"Neither", answered Brainy. "What do you know of the girl Jinx?"

* * *

Jinx waited impatiently by the corner, tapping her fingers on the wall. When the red-and-yellow blur she had been watching out for finally turned up, she immediately launched into a tirade.

"Kid! Where have you been? For someone as fast as you, you shouldn't even _be_ late. You know, just because we're officially going out doesn't mean I can't break it off any moment. Now you'd better have a really good explanation for being three whole minutes late or I promise you I'll ensure you have some real bad luck over the next few days, and no matter how fast you are, you won't be able to avoid it."

Kid Flash grinned and leaned on the wall, next to Jinx, not concerned in the least. "Just admit you like me so much you can't even wait three minutes for me to show."

Jinx snorted. "Unlikely. More like I'm really ticked off when people don't take important things seriously."

"So our dates are important, huh?" asked Kid Flash impishly.

Jinx stared, knowing she had trapped herself. After a minute she laughed. "Okay, fine, you got me. So why were you late again?"

Kid Flash shrugged nonchalantly. "Oh, nothing much. I just had to stop and get this." He whipped out a red rose from behind his back. Jinx looked at it. "For you", said Kid Flash, bowing and offering the rose to her with a flourish. Jinx raised an eyebrow and accepted the flower. Kid Flash grinned again. "Great! Now how 'bout we get something to eat? I'm starving!"

* * *

"Jinx?" questioned Cyborg. "What does Ruby want with Jinx?"

Brainy sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, a habit he'd grown into of late. "We don't know. She's been blocking us at every turn. She's absolutely determined not to let us get in her way again. It took us four days just to track her through the time stream."

"How'd you find out about Jinx, then?" asked Beast Boy, looking confused.

"We didn't." Lightning Lad seemed tense. "A while ago, she and Saturn Girl got into a fight. Ruby thought she was gaining the upper hand and she gleefully blurted it out."

Robin noticed for the first time how strained the Legionnaires looked, especially Saturn Girl. Unbidden, the thought of Saturn Girl's enormous part in the events currently unraveling rose in his mind, and he couldn't help worrying about what was to come. His friends all seemed so much more serious than when he had last seen them. He was so absorbed in his thoughts he almost missed the next bit of information.

"Why would Ruby do something like that?" Raven was asking. "She's not stupid."

"No, but she thought Saturn Girl wasn't going to survive the battle", Timber Wolf answered grimly.

"What?" gasped Starfire, rushing over to Saturn Girl and proceeding to examine her all over. "Are you 'the okay' now, friend?"

Saturn Girl smiled wanly. "I'm fine, Starfire." She paused. "Well, as fine as anyone can be in such a troubled time", she amended.

"Anything in the prophecies?" Robin asked.

"No, unfortunately", replied Phantom Girl. "The last chronological entry having anything to do with the Legion stopped right after stating the 'certain death of the Protector' thing, which didn't last, by the way."

"That's what I never really understood", cut in Beast Boy. "If the prophecy said that no power in the universe would be able to – er – bring Saturn Girl back, then how did we manage to pull it off? I mean, I'm glad we did, but I'm still confused." He did indeed look like a bewildered little puppy, minus the cuteness.

"The language used in the prophecies is cryptic", answered Brainy. "They don't always mean what they say. But in this case, the loophole was the…Greek gods." Brainy looked a little uncomfortable admitting that there was such a thing, even though he'd seen them with his own eyes. "They have power that surpasses what was meant in the prophecy. Also, the Heart of Kandrakar is technically not from this dimension, so it would not be accounted for within the context of the prophecy, either."

Beast Boy looked more confused than ever. "Um, could you repeat that, please?"

"Never mind."

* * *

Four girls crashed into each other came down in a tangle of arms and legs as they tripped on the little green thing that was running away from them like a shot.

"Ow!" cried Irma Lair, her brown head bobbing against the pavement as she attempted – unsuccessfully – to disentangle herself from Cornelia Hale. "Corny, get your butt off my arm!"

"Well, if _you_ get your leg off me, I might be able to move", Cornelia retorted.

Just then Will Vandom came walking up the sidewalk. "Hi, guys!" she greeted. "What are you doing on the ground?" she added in confusion.

Irma groaned as she finally managed to separate herself from the mass of bodies and got to her feet.

"We just gave Blunk a bath", said Hay Lin from the ground, by way of explanation. "Thanks", she added to Irma, who helped her get up too.

"Oh", said Will, grinning.

"Yeah, smile!" exclaimed Taranee Cook as she pulled herself up. "You're lucky Mr. Collins went over to your place for tea so you had to stay home."

Will made a face. "Please", she said. "Getting stuck in my apartment with my mom and my history teacher is not my idea of luck."

Cornelia fluffed out her hair and observed it in the back window of the Silver Dragon, Hay Lin's parents' restaurant, behind which they'd been giving Blunk the Meridian Passling his weekly bath. "Trust me. I'd rather watch your mom and Mr. Collins make out than give that smelly thing whose name is Blunk a bath."

"Eww!" Will and Irma exclaimed in disgust.

* * *

"Taranee, what is this?" inquired Teresa Cook, holding up a yellow-and-black something.

Taranee, who had just gotten home, stared at the object in her mother's hand. It was the Titan communicator Robin had given the Guardians six months ago, when they'd had their little adventure in the future. She'd been keeping it in her desk drawer in her room – how had her mother found it?

"Uh, it's a…um…it's a, uh…" Taranee began, trying to come up with a suitable excuse. "It's just a little, um, gift from a…from a friend of mine." Thinking this story would suffice, she was quick to emphasize her point. "He gave it to me a while ago."

"He?" questioned Teresa. "A boy? Not Nigel?"

Realizing what her mother meant, Taranee involuntarily clapped her hand to her mouth. "No, I mean, it's…it wasn't Nigel, but uh…I just…I didn't want to mention…um…" Teresa's eyebrows were rising higher and higher. "I have this pen pal, see, from um, Jump City", said Taranee, thinking quickly. "And, uh, a while ago, he and his class came to Sheffield on a – er – field trip, and…and he gave me that – uh – paperweight, 'cause he knew he'd be meeting me, 'cause I'd told him in…in a letter."

"I didn't know you had a pen pal, and nor did you mention a visitation from Jump City at school."

"I – er – I didn't?" Taranee said, feigning surprise. "Sorry, I thought I…I mean, it must have slipped my mind. Um, did I mention it's a paperweight?" she asked with a sheepish, hopeful grin.

"Hm." Teresa didn't look convinced. "And I suppose paperweights beep?"

Taranee was totally unprepared for this question, but she racked her brains for an explanation. "It's, uh, it's supposed to do that. It's an…uh…it's an electronic paperweight, and it sort of…lights up, and – and it beeps – when I press a button. But I, uh, dropped it a - a couple of weeks ago, and it's been malfunctioning. So, um, so can I have it back? – and I'll just…put it in my room and, er, remove the battery." She held her breath.

Teresa studied the 'paperweight' for a minute and handed it over. "Electronic paperweights – what _will _they think of next?" she said, giving a fond smile to her daughter.

Taranee didn't waste another moment. Throwing out a "Thanks, Mom", she rushed to her room and closed the door, before letting out her held breath in a relieved sigh.

"Whew." She looked at the communicator. "You beeped, huh?" she said to it, making her way to her bed and sitting down on it. Flipping open the communicator to call the Titans, she felt excited, and a little bit confused. The Guardians and the Teen Titans hadn't contacted each other in over three months, each busy with their own lives. So why had Robin called now?

The big plasma screen flashed, drawing attention from the Titans and the Legionnaires. The Titans expected it to be another security camera video feed of some villain, or maybe a call from Titans East. The Legionnaires had no idea what to expect. But both groups were surprised when the African-American face of Taranee Cook, Fire Guardian of Kandrakar, appeared on the screen.

"Taranee!" Starfire exclaimed in joy. "Oh, it has been too long. How are you, friend?"

"I'm perfectly fine", said Taranee, grinning. "We just settled the latest problem in Kandrakar, so we've sort of got a break for a while."

"Glad to hear it", said Saturn Girl, drawing Taranee's focus from the Titans to the Legionnaires, whom she hadn't noticed before.

"Hey, what are you guys doing here?" she asked in pleased surprise.

"Problem", Phantom Girl replied. "Ruby escaped from prison and she's specifically after someone from this time."

This didn't please Taranee so much. "Oh. Is that why you called?"

"We didn't", said Lightning Lad.

"I did", Robin said. He smiled. "If we're after Ruby again, I thought it'd be better to have the whole gang together."

"Good thinking", Timber Wolf agreed.

"So, are you in?" asked Cyborg. Taranee grinned again.

"You bet!" she said. "I'll let Will and the others know. It'll be just like old times."

"You should know that it will be more complicated than it was before", Brainy warned. "Ruby's quarry is in the 21st century, and so she will remain here. She also knows we are at a disadvantage in this time because we are not well acquainted with it. Therefore, it is unlikely she will return to the 31st century until her business here is done, which will cause certain problems for you, since, as I suspect, your parents do not know of your powers."

Taranee dismissed Brainy's concerns with a wave of her hand. "They don't, but don't worry. We've been doing this Guardian stuff long enough to know how to hide it well. We'll be fine. Besides, the others would probably yell furiously at me if they found out you gave us a chance to work together again and I didn't take it. I think I'll pass on that."

"Awesome!" exclaimed Beast Boy.

"Taranee, dinner's ready", called Teresa's voice from the background.

"Oops, I've gotta go", said Taranee. "When can we meet?"

"Tomorrow", replied Robin. "We'll be here."

"Okay, see you there."

* * *

Ruby watched from the shadows of the alley as the two teenagers walked by. At least, one walked, but the other, making full use of his super-speed, kept running in front and then doubling back. They looked happy. Too happy.

"Just you wait", she whispered. "You won't be so happy when I've got what I want." She flipped open the holopad (containing all the information she would need) that she carried with her and studied the picture.

"Which is you, dear Jinx."

* * *

**_A/N: There we go! First chapter out. I think I'd better warn you right now that I will not be updating daily, as I did with _**_One Year Before, **because I have not yet completely finished this story and I don't want to set a standard I can't keep. I will, however, be posting every other day, so you still don't have to wait that long. Maybe once I've finished the story I'll switch to updating everyday. For now, though...REVIEW! Please?**_

**Disclaimer: Okay, now I shall prattle off a list of names that I have no rights to whatsoever because I don't own the following: **_Teen Titans, Legion of Superheroes, **and **W.I.T.C.H._


	2. Things Get Serious

**Chapter 2**

It was decided that while they waited for W.I.T.C.H. to arrive, Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl, Timber Wolf, Phantom Girl, and Brainy would remain at Titans Tower as they and the Titans tried to come up with a plan to stop Ruby once and for all.

"First things first, we have to tell Jinx", said Robin.

"I agree", said Brainy.

"No", contradicted Saturn Girl. "If we tell her, it'll make it easier for Ruby to find her."

"How so?" inquired Raven.

"Both Ruby's and Jinx's powers are magically-based", explained Saturn Girl. "In a way, because of that, they're somewhat connected. It makes it easier for one to find the other if both know of the other's existence. That's what Ruby discovered when she was researching genetic science after she escaped from jail."

"Hold it", said Cyborg. "We have genetic science here. Why haven't we come across anything like whatever you're saying – which I don't even understand, by the way."

"In the 31st century, genetic science has greatly advanced", said Saturn Girl. "A link began to emerge between genetics and the powers held by some. But although that link has been discovered, further research has yet to determine what factors cause certain abilities to manifest within different people."

"So you're saying we're actually mutants?" asked Phantom Girl.

"No. It's different. Some indeed are mutants, such as those who have had their genetic material altered. But for most of us, our powers are just a result of specific genetic codes that we've been carrying since birth."

"What does this have to do with Jinx and Ruby?" asked Robin.

"As technology advanced, so did research and expansion into other branches of knowledge", said Saturn Girl. "A new field of exploration was magic. Some people possessed abilities that could not be explained by genetics. A certain percentage of these persons were found to have a connection with magic which enabled them to harness and use it. One of these people is Ruby. Jinx also has a specific connection with magic, which allows her to use it to invoke bad luck."

"Okay, wait, so if Jinx has a connection with magic", said Beast Boy, who was trying his hardest to keep up with the conversation, "then she can use it in other ways than bad luck, right?"

"No", replied Saturn Girl. "Different people have different types of connections, which results in different powers. Despite this, researchers have discovered a sort of link between magic-users. It seems that their connection with magic enables them to know another magic-user when they meet one, or to find other like them. It's been established that if two magic-users know of each other, it creates a double link, which allows either one to find the other more quickly."

"I'm getting confused", mumbled Beast Boy.

"Then let's just say that if Jinx knows of Ruby, Ruby will be able to locate her faster", said Timber Wolf.

"But suppose Ruby already knows where Jinx is", argued Lightning Lad. "I mean, it took us four days to figure out she went to the 21st century. If she does know where to find Jinx, it would be better if Jinx knew."

"It's too risky", said Saturn Girl. "If we tell Jinx about Ruby, and Ruby doesn't know where she is, we're only enabling her to find Jinx faster."

"But if Ruby _does_ know where she is, and we don't tell her, Jinx will be in even more danger", Brainy concluded.

"What a dilemma", sighed Phantom Girl, sitting down.

"What's the bigger risk?" asked Cyborg.

"Not telling her", answered Brainy and Lightning Lad at the same time. Saturn Girl remained silent.

"Look, even if Ruby doesn't know where Jinx is, at least if we tell her, she'll know to keep a look-out and she won't be caught off-guard", reasoned Lightning Lad, placing a hand on Saturn Girl's arm.

Saturn Girl thought it over, weighing the options. "Oh, all right", she agreed finally. "I suppose you're right. Contact her and let her know about Ruby, but not about us."

"Why?" asked Starfire. "Are you afraid she will not like you?"

"It's not that, Starfire", said Saturn Girl, looking away. "Like I said before, Jinx and Ruby are connected with magic. If Jinx knows that we're here, there's a chance Ruby will find out too. And we don't want Ruby knowing that. Our best chance to take her down is the element of surprise." At the Titans' confused looks, she sighed and said, "Trust me." Then she flew away.

"What's eating her?" asked Beast Boy, looking in bewilderment after Saturn Girl's retreating figure.

Lightning Lad sighed. "It's been a long couple of months, especially for her."

"How long has it been since we left?" inquired Robin as he punched in a call and waited for Jinx to answer.

"Ten months", replied Phantom Girl. "Ruby escaped about two months ago. We've been keeping on her tail ever since – or trying to."

"Jinx here", said the image of the villain-turned-Titan as she appeared on the screen. The Legionnaires ducked out of sight.

"And Kid Flash", added said super-speeder, peeking over Jinx's shoulder.

"Jinx, we're calling to warn you", Robin told her. "There's someone after you. Her name is Ruby, and she's dangerous. She dresses all in red, usually, and she has flaming red hair."

"What?" asked Jinx, confused. "I've never heard of her."

"Very likely you never have", said Raven. "We can't tell you much, but suffice to say she wants you, and you should watch yourself."

"Why does she want me?" asked Jinx, while Kid Flash put his arm around her protectively. "I've never even met her."

"We don't know", answered Robin. "But we'll be tracking her as best as we can, and come up with a plan to defeat her. Meanwhile, it would be better if Kid Flash stayed with you, and the two of you should move into Titans East for a while."

"Okay", agreed Kid Flash. "I'll keep an eye out for Jinx."

"For your information", said Jinx, turning to face Kid Flash, "I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

Kid Flash held up his hands. "Just trying to help."

"Jinx, no one's doubting your ability to defend yourself", said Robin. "But this woman is like nothing you've ever faced before. Stay with Kid Flash and don't get cocky. And start heading for Steel City. The sooner you move into the East Tower, the better. Robin out." And with that, he ended the call.

"Will she do it?" asked Timber Wolf.

"Yeah", replied Cyborg. "Jinx's got faults, but she's a good sort, and she's not stupid."

"Let me make a call to Titans East to tell them what's happening, and then it's your turn to tell us what's been going on", interjected Robin.

After the call to Bumblebee, Aqualad, Speedy, and Mas and Menos (all of whom were very glad and excited to see the Legionnaires again, but not surprised, because they'd been keeping in contact with Triplicate Girl across the time-space continuum with a special device), Robin, Starfire, Raven, Cyborg, Beast Boy, Lightning Lad, Brainy, Timber Wolf, and Phantom Girl all sat down to discuss the events of the past several months.

"Like I said, Ruby only escaped a couple of months ago", began Phantom Girl. "Before she broke out of Takron Galtose, we all thought it was over, and that Saturn Girl had completed her duty as the Protector of the Universe. Ruby's escape jolted that fantasy right out the door. See, I'd forgotten the phrase that clearly stated Ruby would return." Phantom Girl looked down, ashamed. "Maybe if I'd remembered that, we would have been more prepared, and we wouldn't be in this situation." Timber Wolf, who was beside her, put a hand on her shoulder.

"Dude!" exclaimed Beast Boy. "Why do all of you seem to be blaming yourselves?"

"For once, Beast Boy's right", agreed Raven. "You can't blame yourselves over every forgotten detail."

"We never said we were", said Brainy, stiffening slightly.

"Yeah, right", said Cyborg. "Come on, we got to know you pretty well over that few weeks we spent in the future, and I can tell, you guys are definitely blaming yourselves."

Timber Wolf smiled ruefully. "We are, but that's not helping. Anyway, after Ruby escaped, Phantom Girl went back to the prophecies, but there was nothing – absolutely nothing. We didn't have a clue what we were supposed to do, so we went about it the same way we usually do."

"It didn't work that well", supplied Lightning Lad. "Within three weeks, Ruby had regained her scepter and her hover board and had nearly blasted Takron Galtose to bits. Of course, that meant we had to search for the inmates and put them back in. We had a little help, but it was still another month before order was restored."

"We couldn't put anyone to work on tracking Ruby", continued Brainy, picking up the tale. "We simply couldn't spare anybody. By the time we could finally focus on her again, she'd disappeared. It took us three days to figure out she'd left the 31st century and another four to track her here."

"And what about Saturn Girl?" inquired Starfire, genuinely worried. "Why is she so…distant?"

"We don't know", admitted Timber Wolf. "She hasn't been herself since Ruby escaped. I think the stress has been getting to her. First her enormous role as the Protector, then her duties as Legion leader, and the crises these past two months…even Lightning Lad can't get through to her."

"But not for lack of trying", interjected Lightning Lad, getting to his feet. "And I'm going to try again."

* * *

She was on the roof – again. No matter where she went, she always enjoyed the solace and peace that awaited her on the top of most roofs. Also, from there, she could see the sun and sky clearly. But lately, even the roof hadn't been offering her much comfort.

Saturn Girl sighed as she scanned the city – a habit she'd grown accustomed to, as she'd searched 31st century New Metropolis for any signs of crime in the twilight hours of the day. Today, she saw an unfamiliar, old-fashioned city – so different from the exceedingly tall skyscrapers and whitewashed building complexes in New Metropolis, but so similar in nature. Here, also, crime existed and had to be fought against. Here, also, a team of young heroes had taken it upon themselves to protect the city. And here, also, Ruby was haunting her.

"Figures I'd find you here", said a voice. Saturn Girl whipped her head around in surprise. Lightning Lad. She'd been so absorbed in her thoughts she hadn't sensed him.

"Garth", she acknowledged.

Lightning Lad walked over to her. "What's going on, Imra?"

Saturn Girl turned her gaze back to the city. "Too much", she replied. "There's too much at stake here. Ruby's playing games with us. She's learned from our last encounter, and I doubt she'll make the mistake of even marginally trusting anyone again. When we finally catch up to her, we'll have one chance, and if we blow it, Jinx is in trouble."

"I think you're trying to do too much", said Lightning Lad. "We all know Ruby's powerful, but she's not infallible. We'll get her – just like we got Brainiac."

Saturn Girl wrapped her arms around herself, as though warming herself, but it wasn't particularly chilly this evening. "Brainiac was…different", she said. "His weapons were misdirection and traps, but we always knew what he wanted. Ruby…we know exactly what she wants, but we don't know why. And for once, the prophecies have nothing to say. That gives me a very bad feeling. A feeling that, if we don't stop Ruby this time, there's nothing else we'll be able to do to put things right again."

"Whoa, take it easy", said Lightning Lad, a little alarmed at how intensely she seemed to be reacting to the situation. "We were pretty much facing that dilemma with Brainiac too, but you stopped him. I'm sure you'll stop Ruby too."

"I don't know." It was said in barely a whisper. Lightning Lad was starting to get rather worried. Saturn Girl was usually strong and determined, not at all like the unsure, uncertain person she was now. Maybe the whole business of being the Protector of the Universe was finally getting to her.

"You don't have to do it alone", he told her as he enveloped her in a hug. "I'll be right here for you the whole time, and you know the others will be too."

"Yeah…" Saturn Girl murmured absently.

* * *

_**A/N: Ruby's causing a whole lot of trouble, isn't she? She's my own character, and **I** don't like her. **_**_Weird, huh? Anyways, I might as well warn you here, I'm going to be outstation this Christmas, so I might not be able to post for the week I'm away, because the internet connection at my grandfather's house may not cooperate. But no worries, I'm posting an extra chapter today to make up for it, in case I can't post. And might I just say sorry in advance for my grandfather's crappy internet connection? Thanks to _**_Devilbunny, TheEclipse, **and **lovegarth-1105 **for being the first three people to review!**_

**Disclaimer: Since there're only Titans and Legionnaires in this chapter, I'm just going to say I don't own either **_Teen Titans _**or **_Legion of Superheroes._


	3. New Factors

**Chapter 3**

"Whoa, whoa!" exclaimed Will, holding the phone to her ear as she lay on her bed. "Slow down, Taranee. I can't understand anything you're saying. Something about Robin calling you, Ruby escaping from jail, and the Legion being here?"

On the other end, Taranee's voice crackled. "Yes. Ruby escaped and the Legion's tracked her here, to the 21st century. But I only saw Saturn Girl, Lightning Lad, Timber Wolf, Phantom Girl, and Brainiac 5 when I contacted Titans Tower. Robin's asked us to help, but Brainy warned me about the possible complications."

"Like?" asked Will.

"Like us being away for long periods of time and getting thrown in for a wild ride with Ruby leading."

"He said that?"

"Not specifically, but I guessed. They all look pretty strained. I guess Ruby's been causing a whole lot of trouble."

Will leaned back thoughtfully, her mind whirring as she calculated the possible risks. "Well, that settles it", she said. "We're helping them, whether they like it or not."

"I knew you would say that!" exclaimed Taranee jubilantly. "That's why I went ahead and told them to count us in."

Will smiled. "I'm glad you did, but next time, warn me first before you do something like that."

"Okay", Taranee agreed. "Oh, by the way, we're all meeting tomorrow at Titans Tower."

"Did you say tomorrow?" inquired Will nervously as she twirled the phone wire around her finger.

"Yeah. Why, do you have something planned?"

"Actually, yes. Matt and I were planning to go on a picnic to celebrate the end of our latest mission in Kandrakar."

"Well, then, we're in a fix", said Taranee. "Unless you can figure out a way to be in two places at once."

Understanding what Taranee was implying, Will answered firmly, "No. I'm not using my astral drop. Not on Matt. And especially not now that he knows about us. I haven't used my astral drop on him since he found out about us."

"I understand", said Taranee. "But we've gotta be at that meeting. Bring him along. I'm sure he'd love to see the Titans and the Legionnaires again."

"I suppose…" Will sounded doubtful. "But I had to break most of our dates while we were dealing with Ari*. I don't want Matt to think I've got no time for him."

"He'll understand. Trust me. I bet he'd take a visit to Titans Tower over a picnic any day. He still hasn't seen it, you know."

"I know." Will sighed. "I'll meet you behind the Silver Dragon tomorrow at ten. Tell the others."

"Okay", said Taranee before she hung up. Then Will dialed Matt's number. It rang five times before he picked up.

"Hello?"

"Matt, it's Will. Listen, about our date tomorrow…"

"You're going to cancel it, right?" Matt sounded disappointed, but not very surprised.

"Yes – er, no, not really", said Will. "I mean, we can't go on our picnic, but…"

"What is it this time?" asked Matt. "Some disaster in Kandrakar involving the fate of the entire universe – again?"

"Would you just let me finish?" demanded Will. "I am not breaking our date, just changing the venue. How would you like to visit Titans Tower?"

"Are you serious!" exclaimed Matt. "You guys have told me so much about it I was getting really jealous. We're seriously going to Titans Tower tomorrow?"

Will grinned at Matt's response. "Yep. Unfortunately, though, it's not just a social visit. Ruby's escaped into the 21st century, and a few Legionnaires are here tracking her. They've asked us for help. If you're feeling up to it…"

"Now let's see…" said Matt in mock indecision. "Which would I rather prefer: you flying off to Kandrakar to fight some threat I can't help you with, or us teaming up with the Titans and the Legion to fight Ruby, whom I actually can help with?"

"I'm guessing that's a yes", said Will, giggling.

"You bet it's a yes! When and where are we meeting?"

"Behind the Silver Dragon, ten o' clock tomorrow. If you can grab hold of Caleb and pull him away from whatever video game he's stuck on now, bring him along too."

"Right", Matt agreed. "I'll be there – with or without Caleb – although I seriously doubt he's gonna turn down this opportunity."

* * *

Poison Ivy stepped out of the large hole in the broken concrete wall and patted her giant plant stalk.

"Wonderfully done, love", she said to it. She looked up at the moon, half-hidden behind a cloud, and then back at the bodies of the unconscious guards, and she laughed softly and wickedly.

"The fools. Did they really think they could hold me? Six months. They're getting sloppy." She started walking, but a sudden movement caught her eye. Slipping quickly into the shadows with her plant (which moved far more quietly for a thing of its size than some would think), she waited and watched.

"But why do we have to pass through Gotham City?" asked a plaintive feminine voice. "I don't like this place. It reeks of crime, even with the Batman here. Especially at night."

"We'd attract too much attention in the daytime", another voice, a young man's, replied.

"Which is why we usually take the continental interstate to get to Steel City."

"That's not the fastest way and you know it. Robin did say we have to get to Titans East as fast as possible."

At this, Ivy's curiosity grew, and she turned full attention on their conversation. So these two were Titans, were they?

"Shh!" the girl, obviously much closer now, warned. "You never know who or what might be around in this city. Even Ruby herself might be here – whoever she is."

Ivy involuntarily emitted a soft growl. So Ruby was back in the 21st century, eh? And for some reason, she was driving these two Titans into hiding. Why? Ivy thought about that for several seconds before she decided it wasn't important. She wanted revenge on Ruby, not figure out what her plans were. After all, that treacherous red-garbed woman had plucked her from Gotham City and the 21st century and strung her along, promising glory, conquest, and revenge if she went along with her scheme. And she had, and what had that brought her? Nothing! Ruby hadn't even allowed her to come out of that stupid warehouse until the big battle, forcing her to stay hidden until her say-so.

Well, she was done following along with Ruby's plans. They had brought her nothing but another six months in jail, a loss of revenge on Batgirl, and humiliation at the hands of new heroes. No more! Ruby would pay for what she'd done. She had failed to fulfill her promise and she had failed to give Ivy credit for her part in what had happened in the 31st century. Ivy had intended to seek her own means of revenge on Batgirl, but after this bit of news…well, Batgirl wasn't going anywhere, and who knew how long Ruby would be in this time?

And she stole away on her plant stalk in the direction where she'd first heard the voices, just before the two Titans stepped into the moonlight which revealed them to be Jinx and Kid Flash.

* * *

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" Cyborg stared at the plasma screen. Beast Boy loped over to him and glanced at the screen too.

"Control Freak? Again? Good grief, he's another one who can't stay put."

"I suggest you don't tempt fate with wisecracks", warned Raven. "With Ruby on our hands, we don't need anymore villains escaping out of prison. We're lucky Control Freak is only a third-rate villain."

"I am not!" Control Freak declared hotly from the screen. "I could zap you in here with me, right now, and you wouldn't be able to escape without this remote." He dangled his newest modified controller in front of their faces. "But I won't, because I'm untouchable here, and from here I can do things that will keep you on your toes for the whole night. Hehehehe. Ah-hahaha!" He laughed maniacally, but stopped just as he noticed Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl enter the room.

"And who's this?" he asked, leering at them. "New members? Excellent. They will witness firsthand the brilliance of Control Freak!"

"Freak is right", said Lightning Lad, glaring up at the screen. Control Freak ignored him and squinted at Saturn Girl.

"Hey, cutie. Care to join up with me?" He puckered his lips and made a kissing sound that disgusted everyone in the room.

"That was just gross and inappropriate", Saturn Girl told him.

"You leave her alone", Lightning Lad said.

"Oh, is she with you?" inquired Control Freak. He chuckled. "I'm sorry. But really, I'm not. Hahahaha!"

"I don't have time for this", exclaimed Lightning Lad as he short-circuited the system, making the screen go blank as Control Freak disappeared, a surprised look on his face.

"Hey!" exclaimed Cyborg. "What'd you do? Did you just short-circuit my baby?"

"Relax, Cyborg", said Lightning Lad as he rebooted the system with a controlled voltage of electricity. "I just got rid of him for you, with no harm to your 'baby'." He looked over at Saturn Girl, who had sat down. "Hey, are you okay?"

"This is a problem", said Saturn Girl. "Now he'll go blabbing about the 'new members of the Teen Titans'."

"It's not like he knows our names."

"No, but there's a chance he'll describe us well enough for Ruby to realize we're here if she hears it."

Lightning Lad sobered while Beast Boy said, "Uh-oh."

"Relax, Saturn Girl", said Cyborg. "We'll get Control Freak before he has a chance to spread the news to Ruby's ears. He's an idiot, really. He'll probably appear on the TV later tonight, and Lightning Lad can get him out then. Or we'll hunt him down ourselves. But don't worry about him. He likely won't think about telling anyone – at least not until he knows more. He'll be too busy trying to get back at us."

"I hope you're right."

* * *

_In the 31__st__ century…_

BOOM! As the time-bubble disappeared, a flash of blinding white light enveloped all of Legion HQ, accompanied by an enormous sound wave that shook the ground. When the light faded, everything seemed the same as before.

"What just happened?" asked Bouncing Boy.

"I don't know." Cosmic Boy, his arms folded, looked very cross. "But I hope Lightning Lad doesn't even think of doing that again – for his sake."

"Uh…I don't think that was Lightning Lad, Cosmic Boy", said Shrinking Violet as she looked out the window. "You might want to have a look at this."

Cosmic Boy, Bouncing Boy, and the other Legionnaires who were in Headquarters went over to the window…and were horrified by what they saw.

* * *

**_A/N: Here's the extra Chapter 3, like I promised. Oh, and just to clarify, since the animated series of _**_W.I.T.C.H.** only covered two seasons, and thus only two storylines, I had to take the Guardians' 3rd major villain from the comics, which was Ari of Arkhanta. Oh, and Merry Christmas, everybody!**_

**Disclaimer: I still don't own **_Teen Titans, Legion of Superheroes, _**or **_W.I.T.C.H._


	4. Break In

**Chapter 4**

As Cyborg had said, Control Freak did indeed reappear in Titans' Tower, less than six hours after Lightning Lad had force him off the screen. This time, he was demanding to know every single thing about 'the new Titans', with the threat that if they didn't acquiesce, he would trap them with him in the electronic world.

Lightning Lad looked at Cyborg, who nodded. Then he put his hand on a wire and drew the power out of it.

"Hey, what's going on?" said Control Freak as he felt himself sliding toward the side of the screen. "What are you doing? Ow! Stop that!"

Within a minute, Lightning Lad had withdrawn Control Freak from the screen by the means of suctioning the electrical impulses, causing the villain to stand before them, completely solid. Raven enclosed him in a black sphere before he had a chance to pick up his fallen remote.

"Hey! Hey! Let me out of here!" yelled Control Freak, pounding on the walls of the sphere.

"Not likely", Raven told him. "You're going back to prison, and I am personally making sure you don't have any electronics anywhere near you. I'll take him to the precinct myself", she said to the others. As she turned to go, Saturn Girl touched her hand.

"Wait. It might be better if I erased his memory first", she said. Raven nodded, and Saturn Girl's eyes glowed pink for a moment before they returned to normal. She nodded toward the now-dazed Control Freak within Raven's sphere. "He won't remember anything of us."

Raven dipped her head in acknowledgment and disappeared.

"Guess you were right", said Lightning Lad to Cyborg. Cyborg grinned and flashed him an "I-told-you-so" look.

* * *

Later that night, Saturn Girl woke up feeling thirsty, so she shuffled to the kitchen to get a drink of water, and it was there that she caught a glimpse of something rather odd.

A dark silhouette was outlined against the fridge and was slowly making its way to the living area, half-visible in the long shadows, but not quite visible enough for Saturn Girl to make out who it was. She ducked behind the wall as she listened hard for any tell-tale signs. There was some low murmuring, but nothing distinct, and the moon had gone behind a cloud, so the Tower was in almost pitch darkness. Saturn Girl allowed her telepathic senses to investigate as far as she dared, but she still got nothing on the intruder.

The noises coming from the living room suddenly stopped. Saturn Girl risked a peek and saw the figure standing next to the couch, completely still. The intruder was standing in the dim light cast by a distant street lamp on the mainland, so Saturn Girl could discern body parts, but she still couldn't see a face. Though, from its voice, she would hazard a guess at the intruder being female.

The figure suddenly turned her head and something red flashed. Saturn Girl stifled a gasp as she recognized the aura: Ruby! Ruby seemed to stare straight at her and a gleeful smile formed, showing her white teeth which glinted in the dark.

"Tut, tut, Saturn Girl. You really should know better than to sneak about a tower that you don't live in."

"And I suppose _you _stay here, do you?" retorted Saturn Girl.

"Tsk, tsk. Naughty. How about I help you sleep?"

A sharp pain penetrated Saturn Girl's mind and the room spun around her. Before she blacked out, the last thing she heard was Ruby's soft voice saying, "Nighty night."

* * *

One thousand years into the future, seven Legionnaires (three of which were Triplicate Girl's three bodies) sat in the main room of Legion HQ, holding a serious conference.

"It's a disaster", said Triplicate Girl's Orange Body. "It's just like it was when we came back from the 41st century."

"We've gotta warn Saturn Girl", put in White Body.

"We're overstretched as it is", said Cosmic Boy. "With the five of them in the 21st century, we've had to spread our members thinly to cover all the stations. We can't spare anyone to travel to 2009."

"We don't have to", spoke up Purple Body. "We just return to this exact moment after we've warned them."

"That might not be the wisest course", said Star Boy. "When Brainy tried to open the time stream after Imperiex made such a change, he landed a few days too late. If someone goes to the 21st century, they might not be able to return to this exact moment. Too much has been changed to allow for precise time travel."

"And we're running short on manpower." Bouncing Boy sighed. "Now we're stuck. We can't go to the 21st century to warn Saturn Girl and the others because we might not be able to get back when we're needed, but they have to know about this latest development if they're going to stop it."

"What if we get someone who's not a Legionnaire to go?" suggested Shrinking Violet. The others stared at her.

"Why would anyone who's not a Legionnaire want to be involved in this?" asked White Body. "And it might not be safe. We can't risk a civilian's life like that."

"Okay, technically, he's a Legionnaire", Violet amended. "He's just not from the 31st century – or the 21st."

A look of realization dawned on everyone's faces as they understood what Violet was saying.

"I see", Star Boy said, nodding. "When all else fails, we bring in Superman – X."

* * *

Starfire awoke early to the dazzling morning sunlight that streamed through her window, half-covered with purple curtains. She stretched herself out and yawned, lifting her head from the end of her circular bed.

"It is a most glorious day", she said to herself as she flew about her room, carrying out her morning ritual of brushing her hair and teeth and washing her face. When she was done, she made her way to the main room, thinking to prepare breakfast for the others.

"I shall include the zorkaberry paste I made yesterday, and the most recent blue mold jellies, and the bacon that Cyborg adores so much, as well as some tofu for Beast Boy, and –" She stopped short and let out a gasp as she saw Saturn Girl's prone form lying on the floor.

"Oh, no!" She flew to Saturn Girl and turned her over. "Saturn Girl! Can you hear me?" She put her ear to Saturn Girl's chest and, much to her relief, heard the beating of her heart. Saturn Girl began to stir and Starfire immediately drew back before cautiously drawing closer again.

"Saturn Girl? Are you all right?"

Saturn Girl moaned softly as she slowly propped herself into a sitting position and massaged her head. Opening one eye, she seemed surprised to see her friend's concerned face. "Starfire?"

"Yes! What happened?"

"Ruby", said Saturn Girl grimly. "Ow." She winced as she rubbed a particularly tender spot.

"Ruby was here? In the Tower?" Starfire lifted her hands to her mouth. "But how would she get in without Cyborg's security system alerting us all?"

"Ruby's from the 31st century, Starfire", Saturn Girl explained. "If she wants to, she could completely shut down all your systems and not leave a trace."

Starfire gently touched Saturn Girl's hand. "What did she do to you?"

"I'm not entirely sure." Saturn Girl rubbed her head again and winced. "But I've got a splitting headache."

The doors slid open just then to reveal Lightning Lad, who immediately rushed to Saturn Girl when he saw the scene.

"Imra! Are you okay?" he asked anxiously as he helped her up.

"I'm fine…I think. Ruby zapped me with some sort of mind ray…"

"Ruby?" Lightning Lad's eyes flashed. "She was here? When?"

"Last night. I came down for some water and she was prowling about."

Starfire tapped Lightning Lad on the shoulder. "We had better get Cyborg to examine Saturn Girl to see if any permanent damage was done."

Lightning Lad nodded. "We'll stay here. You go get him."

Starfire bobbed her head and flew out the door.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Lightning Lad asked Saturn Girl once he'd settled her down on the couch.

"I'm all right, Garth. I don't feel anything wrong." She smiled ruefully. "Except maybe one heck of headache."

Lightning Lad didn't look convinced, but he didn't say anything. When Cyborg came through the doors along with Brainy, Timber Wolf, Phantom Girl, Robin, Raven, and a half-asleep Beast Boy, with Starfire following behind, the first thing out of his mouth was, "I cannot believe that evil, scheming red woman overrode my security system! The nerve of her!"

"Don't take it too hardly, Cyborg", Robin was telling him. "Ruby's used to technology that's one thousand years advanced."

Still grumbling, Cyborg approached Saturn Girl and asked, "How're you feeling?"

"A bit better, but my head's still pounding."

"We'll see what we can do about it once we've made sure there's nothing wrong with you." He jerked his thumb in the direction of the doors. "Come on. The medical room's that way."

* * *

"Where is Irma?" asked Hay Lin. "She should be here by now." It was ten seventeen, and Will, Taranee, Cornelia, Hay Lin, Caleb, Matt, and Blunk were gathered behind the Silver Dragon, waiting for the Water Guardian to make an appearance so they could all fold to Titans' Tower.

"She's not answering her phone", Will said, snapping her own mobile shut.

"Oh, bother", huffed Cornelia. "I say, if she's not here in the next two minutes, we visit the Titans without her."

"Hey guys!" called Irma as she skidded around the corner just then, somewhat breathless. "Sorry I'm late, my dad forced me to clean up my room. I tried mind-tricking him into letting me off, but it didn't work. So I stuffed everything in my closet and hurried over here." She stopped just before them and counted the heads, wrinkling her nose when she got to Blunk.

"Um, why are we taking Blunk with us?"

"He wants to come", said Will, lifting the Heart of Kandrakar off her neck. "I don't know why, but he insisted on seeing some new people."

"Are you sure it's wise bringing him along?" asked Caleb. "He's not going to make us very endearing to the Titans."

"It's better than leaving him here where he could cause all sorts of havoc while we're not around to watch him." Will sliced through the air with the Heart, creating a wavy blue fold. "Let's go."

* * *

**_A/N: I managed to get hold of a decent internet connection, so here you go - Chapter 4! I bet you're all wondering what exactly is going on in the 31st century, but you'll have to wait a couple more chapters before we get to that. I can post every other day again from now on. See you on Monday!_**

**Disclaimer: Now, really, if I owned this, would I be writing to post on a **_fanfiction _**site?**


	5. Introducing Blunk

**Chapter 5**

Cyborg studied the screens that displayed the results of Saturn Girl's examination. Saturn Girl herself was lying on a table with several wires monitoring her heartbeat and other vitals.

"Hmm, nothing seems to be wrong", said Cyborg thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. "Everything seems to be functioning properly, and there's no damage to your brain as far as I can tell. Of course, the data is still processing, but everything's in working order so far."

"That's good", said Lightning Lad in relief from beside Saturn Girl.

"But I don't get it", said Timber Wolf. "If Saturn Girl was alone, why didn't Ruby do something more? There's something fishy about this."

Saturn Girl shook her head slightly as if shaking off a fly. "I still don't feel quite right. Something else is going on here."

"Hello?" called a new voice from somewhere through the wall. "Is anybody home?"

The Titans and Legionnaires looked at each other. "Sounds like W.I.T.C.H. has arrived", Robin said.

* * *

"Wait. You want me to travel two thousand years back in time to warn five Legionnaires and a group of superheroes who are practically ancient by now of this major disaster in the 31st century and stay there to help prevent total and utter chaos on a scale worthy of Imperiex?" Kell-el stood with his arms crossed, the 41st century looking as bright as it had been after the future had been fixed.

"Uh, yeah", said Triplicate Girl's Orange Body.

"And you can't go because?"

"Because we might not be able to get back to the 31st century in time due to the damage that's been done to the time stream", answered White Body. "And we need every person we can get with five Legionnaires in the 21st century."

"And I can go because?"

"Because you're not accounted for in the Legion log book", said Purple Body. "You're an extra, and we can spare you."

"If you can come here, then why can't you go to the 21st century?" asked Kell-el.

"Because Shrinking Violet theorized that the situation we have in the 31st century would not yet have reached the 41st century, so there would still be relatively little damage done to the time stream between the 31st and 41st centuries, therefore, it would currently be safe for us to come here", White Body explained.

"Okay. So you need me to go to the 21st century to warn Saturn Girl and the others."

"Yep."

"I guess I can do that."

"Great!" All three Triplicates grinned. Orange Body offered a time bubble device to Kell-el.

"Here. We brought an extra one with us."

Kell-el held up a hand. "Don't need it. I've still got my warp key." He produced the slim, streamlined time travel device, seemingly out of nowhere. "I've been carrying it about with me since you guys came to recruit me a second time."

Orange Body raised an eyebrow. "You knew we'd be coming back?"

Kell-el shrugged. "I had a hunch. Everything always seems to happen to you, so I thought it best to be prepared."

"You do know us well", laughed Orange Body.

Kell-el smiled slightly and energized the warp key.

* * *

The Titans and Legionnaires entered the main room to find Will, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia, Hay Lin, Caleb, Matt, and a smelly little green person they hadn't seen before.

"Friends!" exclaimed Starfire joyfully as she flew full speed toward them with her arms open wide, crashing into Irma, Cornelia, and Caleb and bringing them all down with her.

Caleb chuckled from his spot on the floor and reached his arm out from the tangle of limbs to pat her on the back. "It's good to see you too, Starfire."

Irma expressed the same sentiment without the arm, as all four of her limbs were pinned against the ground.

Cornelia's muffled voice came from underneath a mass of Starfire's red hair. "Great to see you, Starfire. Can we get up now?"

"Oh, I am sorry." Starfire bounced up immediately, helping her victims to their feet.

"Yo, Matt!" called Cyborg as he slapped Matt a high-five.

"Good to see you again, Cy", Matt said enthusiastically, returning the high-five. "Cool place you got here."

"Thanks." Cyborg grinned.

"I'm glad you could make it", Lightning Lad said, shaking Will's hand.

"Yeah, well, we were never the type to turn down adventure."

"Heh-heh. Dude!" Beast Boy exclaimed as he thwacked Caleb on the back.

"Who is _that_?" Phantom Girl asked, wrinkling her nose as she smelled Blunk's strong and unpleasant odor, even after his recent bath.

"Oh." Hay Lin smiled somewhat sheepishly. She gestured for Blunk to come forward, being careful not to touch him. "This is Blunk. He's a Passling from Meridian, which means he can sense portals and folds between dimensions – and he can even create folds too, using the Tooth of Tonga. When he heard we were coming, he insisted on tagging along, even though he had no idea who you all are."

Raven blinked, and then winced as she heard the barely audible crack as a glass on one of the kitchen counters chipped. The Legion and W.I.T.C.H. had been springing one surprise after another on her until she didn't know what to expect anymore – and when she didn't know what to expect, her emotions slipped, causing some damage to any nearby objects. No one else seemed to have heard the glass crack, though – they were too busy trying to stay as far away from Blunk as possible. Brainiac 5 was the one exception; he stepped forward cautiously and prodded Blunk's shoulder with one green finger.

"Interesting…" he muttered as he withdrew his hand, holding his nose with the other.

Saturn Girl, who hadn't said anything since W.I.T.C.H. had arrived, stood off to one side, massaging her head, which still didn't seem quite right.

"Hey, are you feeling okay?" inquired Taranee in concern, noticing Saturn Girl in the corner.

"Ruby hit her with something last night", Timber Wolf spoke up, sparing Saturn Girl the necessity of answering. "She managed to sneak into the Tower, and Saturn Girl was the only one up. Cyborg ran a full body scan, but we didn't find anything wrong."

Saturn Girl flashed him a grateful smile before entering the conversation. "I feel fine now, though. Mostly, anyway. My head feels a bit funny, but I'm sure it's nothing serious."

Taranee gave her a dubious look but she let it lie, turning instead to the discussion the others were having.

Irma was rolling her eyes. "Puh-lease. How can Blunk be interesting? He's helpful, but he really smells, and he's a real pain in the butt when it comes to baths." Blunk flashed her a toothless grin, not repentant in the slightest.

"I'm not referring to his…pheromone…composition – I'm talking about the potential he presents to us in our current situation", replied Brainy. "He could prove very…helpful, as you put it."

"Maybe we should just set him to find Ruby and tail her", suggested Caleb.

There was a slight pause.

"That could work", began Cornelia dubiously, "But there's one problem. He stinks. Ruby would smell him from half a mile away."

"We could scrub him down", said Caleb.

"No! No!" Blunk cried in horror. "No bath! No bath! Blunk hate bath! Blunk hate soap and Blunk hate water. Blunk like smelly."

"Look", said Caleb, holding his breath as he squatted down to Blunk's level some ten feet away. "It's a question of necessity. We need you to track Ruby and tail her so we can know what she's up to. We have to stay here and plan, and in any event, we're too obvious. Ruby would notice us immediately. But she hasn't seen you before. You could shadow her. You know how to do it. And you're the only one who can. But we need to wash you so she doesn't smell you. If you promise to let us bathe you and make sure to stay clean until your mission is over, I'll personally give you a big bagful of garbage myself. Deal?"

Almost everyone besides W.I.T.C.H. and Matt wrinkled their noses at Caleb's choice of Blunk's reward while the Passling thought it over.

"Deal", Blunk agreed, holding out his hand.

"Er – there's no need to shake hands", Caleb said, hastily backing away, causing the others to laugh.

* * *

Batgirl was flipping through the various files on the Batcomputer in the Batcave when Batman came over and sprang some surprising news on her.

"Robin called."

Batgirl jerked her head around to face Batman. "He did?"

"Yes." Batman stroked his chin. "Ruby broke out of prison and she's now in the 21st century carrying out a new plan – a dangerous one, if she's anything like last time. A few Legionnaires and W.I.T.C.H. have grouped together with the Titans again. Robin's also asked us for help."

"Well, all right!" exclaimed Batgirl, punching a fist in the air. "I'd love to see W.I.T.C.H. and the Legion again. Also, I'm kind of getting bored just watching the monitor and waiting for something to happen."

"I told him no."

Batgirl's expression went from one of excitement to surprised indignation. "We're not helping him? Why on earth not?"

"We're needed in Gotham."

"Needed?" Batgirl blinked, wondering how her partner could say that. "There's been no crime in Gotham for the past two weeks."

"And whenever we've had a quiet period, what has always happened immediately after that?"

Batgirl thought, the answer coming to her lips easily. "One big major stew of crimes", she sighed in reply.

"Exactly." Batman nodded once. "Therefore, we should stay here, where we can keep any villain from Gotham City off their tail, as Ruby will be bound to collect helpers, and Gotham Prison holds some of the most dangerous criminals around."

Batgirl sighed again. Things were getting hotter, she knew, but she still wished she could be fighting alongside Robin and the others.

"Don't worry, Robin understands what we have to do. And I know you would feel better if you could fight with them", said Batman, correctly interpreting her thoughts. "So do I. But this is necessary, especially since, as I hear, Poison Ivy has escaped from jail."

"What?" Batgirl was surprised for the second time in five minutes – but this time, the surprise wasn't so pleasant. "Red broke out?"

"Yes, literally", Batman answered with a wry smile. "She punched an enormous hole in the wall of the prison and escaped through it."

"But this means she could be planning on joining up with Ruby again", said Batgirl.

"I seriously doubt that. The last time she did that, things didn't end so well, and I think in her mind, she feels like Ruby double-crossed her. But she can still cause problems for the Titans – and everybody else."

"I think I'm beginning to see why we need to stay in Gotham City", said Batgirl resignedly. "But Batman", she added, "when this is over, it is so time for another visit to Jump City."

* * *

Robin returned to the bathroom after he completed his call to Batman. He had hoped that his mentor and Batgirl could join with them to fight Ruby again, but the way things stood – and especially the bit about Poison Ivy escaping prison (_Villains think alike, _Robin thought dryly) – he could see they had no choice but to remain in Gotham City.

In the bathtub (which was yet dry), Blunk was sitting with his arms and legs crossed, a sorrowful look of horror on his green face as he earnestly tried not to leap out and make a furious run for it right then and there. Will, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia, Hay Lin, and Caleb were gathered around the tub, the others at least ten steps back, Cornelia having warned them to do so. At first, Cyborg and Beast Boy had disregarded her graphic descriptions of Blunk's previous baths, passing them off as exaggerations, but upon seeing the dead serious looks in the eyes of the Guardians when they'd laughed, they had decided, on second thought, that it was best to stay out of the line of fire – just in case.

"I thought you would have started by now", said Robin as he stopped at the door.

"We're giving Blunk the opportunity to prepare himself", said Caleb. "Besides, we don't have soap."

"What are you talking about?" asked Robin, confused. He pointed to a bottle of liquid soap on the rack beside the bathtub. "There's soap right there."

"Not strong enough", said Taranee, shaking her head. "It'd take about ten rounds of that to reduce Blunk's stink to anywhere near inoffensive. That's a waste. What's the strongest and most heavily scented soap you have?"

"Come on, he can't be that bad", said Robin, wondering whether or not to believe her.

"Believe me, he _is _that bad", said Irma. "Where's the soap? If you don't have one strong enough, mix some different soaps together."

"I will do it!" Starfire volunteered. She flew out, returning minutes later with a big pail in which she had heaped generous amounts of dish and laundry detergent, fragrant hand soap, and some of her own scented shampoo. Into this mixture, while the Legionnaires and the other Titans looked strangely at the pail, she added some of the aforementioned liquid soap. "There!" she said in satisfaction. "I hope I have not made the scent too overwhelming."

Will took a whiff at the pail and crinkled her nose as she drew back. "Hoo boy, you sure did, Starfire."

Timber Wolf choked, his enhanced sense of smell picking up the jumbled aromas with offense, and he too took a step back. "You could say that again."

"But it's perfect for Blunk", declared Hay Lin as she used a small, contained cyclone to properly mix up all the soaps. Blunk glared at the pail with obvious distaste, but Caleb's promise of a big bag of garbage after this was all over kept him in his place.

When the soaps had blended together into a thick, semi-liquid consistency with an odd hue of whitish-yellow, Irma sent a torrent of water splashing into the pail, filling it to the brim with lukewarm, soapy bubbles.

"Ready?" she asked.

Blunk, who looked utterly horrified at the prospect of being cooperative while he was doused with the most potent bath he had ever had in his life, was nonetheless determined to get that lovely bag of smelly garbage. "Ready", he replied grimly.

And the bath began.

* * *

**_A/N: Oh, dear, I'm laughing at that last part. Just a little side note here - I made a mistake in _**_The Threat of the Ruby**. I said Poison Ivy's real name was Piera Copola, but it's not. Her real name is Pamela Lillian Isley - Piera Copola was the actress who voiced Poison Ivy in **Batman: The Animated Series. **I'm sorry for the mistake - it's been corrected. Look out for the next chapter of this story on Wednesday! Thanks to **Devilbunny, TheEclipse, lovegarth-1105, **and **The Violet Rose **for reviewing!**_

**Disclaimer: For the forty-fourth time, **_I don't own it._


	6. Laying Some Basic Plans

**Chapter 6**

They were halfway through rinsing Blunk with the third helping of Starfire's soap mixture – with Irma spraying streams of water, Will pouring soap on the Passling, Taranee scrubbing his skin with a long-handled scrub-brush, and the rest keeping well out of the way – when a bright purple vortex erupted into being out of nowhere, startling the heroes and making them jump.

Out of the vortex, a bulky figure appeared, with glints of dark blue and red accentuating his form. He seemed to be making quite a show of walking slowly toward them. When he finally stepped out of the vortex and into the light, while the vortex vanished behind him, his identity became clear – to the five people who had seen him before.

"Kell!" exclaimed Lightning Lad.

Kell-el had his muscular arms crossed over his chest as he surveyed the room, raising one eyebrow in placid surprise at the bathtub scene. "If I'd known you were throwing a pool party in the bathroom, I would have stayed away for several more hours. _What_ are you doing in here?"

Phantom Girl giggled. She really couldn't help it. The picture was just too funny. Superman X standing in a crowded bathroom in Titans Tower while they were all in the middle of bathing a smelly Meridian Passling.

"Er…" Brainy, rarely without anything to say, now couldn't find fitting words to describe the situation. "You wouldn't believe us."

Kell-el's eyebrow rose higher, and his other one cocked upward slightly as well. "I'm standing right in the middle of whatever it is you're doing, so try me."

"We, er…we're giving Blunk a bath", replied Phantom Girl, between bouts of laughter.

"You're giving _what _a what?"

"Who, not what", Cornelia corrected, gazing admiringly at Superman X – a little too admiringly for Caleb, who frowned. "And we're giving him a bath."

Kell-el shook his head. "I know I'm going to regret asking, but why…?"

"He's going to tail Ruby for us, and we need to make sure she doesn't smell him coming", explained Saturn Girl. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"I'm here on official Legion business", said Kell-el. "…according to Cosmic Boy. But basically, it's more like I'm reinforcement and messenger rolled into one."

"Messenger?" Timber Wolf perked his furry ears up. "What message?"

"I'll tell you once you've finished washing that thing…Blunk. Then we can have a conference and you can introduce everyone to me. Meanwhile, I'm going to the hall." And he turned and strode out of the bathroom, leaving five puzzled Legionnaires and ten stunned Titans and Guardians.

* * *

Ruby studied her handheld cell phone intensely, taking note of every little detail in the video clips that were playing across the screen. It was only one of the many 31st century devices she had brought with her. Ruby smiled as she looked down on those clips – proof of her brilliant and incredibly cunning genius. Of course, the gadget she was holding wasn't really a cell phone – it was a specially designed LCD-screen (one of the inventions that proved so useful they had not been lost throughout the years – though, of course, it had been redesigned to be even better by the time the 31st century arrived) short-and long-distance wave receiver, one of Ruby's favorite futuristic inventions, straight out of the 31st century. This little device, once a microchip that was linked to it via satellite electronic waves was installed in the piece of technology one wished to keep track of, could hack into almost any system in the 31st century, and every system in the 21st. In the 31st century, use of the wave receiver had been banned to all except official law enforcement organizations. In the wrong hands, this technology was extremely dangerous, warranting the tight security that kept the only thirty prototypes in existence away from the general public.

Ruby continued to smile as the videos kept playing, with perfect sound and vision quality. Only a villain like she could have rigged a way to keep this highly advanced technology from registering on 21st century radar, sonar, and whatever else it was they used to detect such things. And only she could have smuggled this little gizmo and its connecting chip out of the heavily guarded vault in the Science Police's Mercurian Outpost itself, where this particular prototype had been in storage.

After those two feats, it had been a simple matter for her to override the security system at Titans' Tower and sneak in. After all, 21st century technology was ridiculously primitive when compared to the machines and research material available in the 31st century. Getting the microchip installed secretly into the Tower's computer mainframe system in such a way that it would be undetectable, however, had been a greater challenge. Cyborg was not stupid, after all. But she'd managed to do it, and she now had full access to everything that was processed within the system, as well as every file that was saved in it. That included communications, priority files, and recently, an odd reading that had come from inside the technology itself, something that hadn't been there previously, and something that had not been installed from any outside source.

This reading had thrown her off-track for a while, before she'd realized that it had been caused by some villain who called himself Control Freak who had managed to zap himself into the computer until he became part of the mainframe itself. Even Ruby was impressed by his ability to configure a remote that enabled him to do that. _Although, _Ruby thought wryly, _You wouldn't think he had the intellect to create such a device, the way he acts. It's no wonder the Titans don't take him seriously. But with the right encouragement, he could prove very useful._

Ruby had already made plans to recruit a group of like-minded villains who had something she could use. Many of them were quite unhappy with whichever hero or team it had been who had put them in prison, and Ruby knew how to work that to her advantage. And though Saturn Girl had erased Control Freak's memory, she was sure she could counter the effects with her magic if she needed to. Besides, Saturn Girl's most dangerous ability where Ruby was concerned had already been taken care of.

_I wonder how long it will take for them to realize that the mind-ray I zapped that interfering Titanian with did more than give her a headache. I'd say they'll only discover the true purpose of that ray only when Saturn Girl really needs to use the ability I robbed her of. _

Ruby smiled chillingly. If she played her cards right, she would have plenty of time before that happened.

_After all, Saturn Girl hasn't had a proper opportunity to use her telepathy since she arrived here, has she?_

* * *

After everyone had gathered in the main room of the Tower, Brainy introduced everyone to Kell-el and Robin checked in with Jinx and Kid Flash, who verified that they had almost reached Steel City. They hadn't sent a surprisingly un-odorous Blunk out yet, as they all thought it best that they hear Kell-el's story before they did anything major. So Kell-el began his explanation.

"I first got involved in this whole affair when Triplicate Girl came to the 41st century to tell me the Legion needed me to play messenger", said Kell-el. "She told me some rather alarming news about the Legion's situation."

"Are they all right?" inquired Saturn Girl in concern.

"As all right as they can be, I suppose, given their circumstances", replied Kell-el evasively.

"You're dancing around the subject, Kell", Lightning Lad pointed out. "What exactly is their 'situation'?"

"There's been some damage to the time stream", Kell-el admitted.

"What kind of damage?" asked Brainy.

"The kind that's caused by major historical changes with extremely far-reaching effects."

"I was afraid of that", Brainy sighed.

"You're still beating around the bush, Kell", said Lightning Lad patiently, which was quite a feat for him, his hot temper being what it was and Kell-el being one who ticked him off quite easily.

"Fine", snapped Kell-el. "Put in plain and simple terms, the major change in this case has resulted in the 31st century being in as bad a condition as it was after Imperiex thrashed it."

"What?" gasped Phantom Girl.

"What's this major change, then?" asked Cyborg, who was one of the few 21st century heroes who could fully keep up with the way the conversation was going.

"Jinx went evil again", responded Kell-el. "Really evil."

"You're not serious!" exclaimed Beast Boy. He might not understand everything to do with the nature of the time stream and such, but that he understood.

"No!" cried Starfire. "Jinx is a Titan now. She is good. She would never –"

"I'm not saying she changed voluntarily", said Kell-el.

There was a pause as his words sunk in and understanding began to dawn.

"You mean – Ruby…?" ventured Hay Lin.

"That's what Bouncing Boy suspects", Kell-el confirmed. "Most of the Legionnaires back in the 31st century agree with him. Cosmic Boy isn't so sure, but he does consider it a distinct possibility."

"Finally, some sense out of him", grumbled Lightning Lad.

"But how could Jinx turning evil again change history so drastically?" questioned Robin. He was another one who could manage to keep up.

Kell-el shrugged. "Search me. Even the rest of the Legion hasn't fully determined all the ramifications of that one act. Triplicate Girl said they couldn't risk wasting anymore time before letting me know the gravity of the situation. They had to send me here as early as possible, even though Shrinking Violet had a theory that the continuum between the 41st and 21st centuries was relatively unharmed - for now."

"I see", said Saturn Girl. "They couldn't warn us themselves because the effects of Jinx turning evil again has so far affected mainly the time stream between the 21st and 31st centuries."

"Exactly", verified Kell-el.

"What about the time-space continuum communication device that Triplicate Girl gave Bumblebee?" Raven queried. "Couldn't they let us know through that?"

"They didn't want to risk it", Kell-el answered. "Such a device is sensitive to the importance of restricting the passage of crucial time or historically-related information and developments. Its responses to any attempt to pass such information is unpredictable, even in the 41st century. It might simply cut out the data, or it might shut down altogether. They wanted to keep it intact so they could continue to communicate with you here and perhaps pass some information along through coded words that would not be detected by the device."

"Dude, you totally lost me back there", complained Beast Boy.

"He's not the only one", agreed Cornelia. But apparently, everybody else had understood it, or at least gotten the gist of it, so Kell-el did not bother repeating himself.

"Now that you've delivered the message, are you going back?" asked Timber Wolf. Kell-el shook his head.

"You've forgotten the reinforcement part of my presence here. I'm staying here to help you lot sort this mess out. Not only that, but according to Shrinking Violet, the time stream from the 41st century to the 21st is intact enough to traverse, but the stream from the 21st century to the 41st is not, since I'd have to pass the 31st century to get there. Besides, I'd be no use in either the 31st or the 41st century, anyway, so I might as well help out here."

"You've changed", Lightning Lad noted after a beat. "Used to be you weren't interested in being a team."

"You've only just noticed that now?"

Lightning Lad shrugged.

"There's another issue to be discussed here", said Raven. "Since Ruby already knows you're here" – she nodded at the five Legionnaires – "are we going to fill Jinx in?"

Saturn Girl thought about it for a moment. "We should", she agreed. "Since Ruby already knows about us, the more Jinx knows, the better."

"She and Kid Flash said they'd call once they reach the East Tower", supplied Robin. "I'll tell Bumblebee to brief them once they check in. For now, though, I think I'll give them an update."

Saturn Girl nodded. "Okay, but be careful to warn them not to reveal anything too specific to Jinx and Kid Flash – we need to preserve the time stream as best as we can."

"Not to be bossy or anything…" said Caleb, "But we really should let Blunk get tracking, and the sooner he can keep us informed on Ruby's actions, the better."

"Agreed", said Brainy. He turned to the Guardians. "I'm not entirely certain how he picks up trails…"

"Don't worry", said Will, catching his meaning. "We've got your back. Blunk", she said to the Passling, "We need you to look for a woman in red, okay? She's got red hair and almost always dresses in red, and she might have a golden scepter with her. Is that enough for you to go on?"

Blunk, still looking rather morose from the sudden lack of the stink he had become so familiar with, shook his head. "Not enough. Blunk need scent."

Will sighed. She'd been afraid of this. "Well, unfortunately, we don't have any scent for you."

"Actually, we do", said Saturn Girl suddenly. She gestured toward the couch. "Ruby stood right over there last night. She might have been there long enough for Blunk to pick up her scent."

"It's worth a shot", said Will. Blunk obligingly sniffed around the area for a few minutes before looking up with a triumphant grin on his face.

"Got scent. Strange smell. Blunk find lady."

"Great!" Taranee smiled. "Go on, Blunk. Go wherever the scent leads you, and when you find Ruby, shadow her. Think you can do that?"

Blunk nodded and smiled, thinking of that lovely bag of garbage that would be his when he had completed his mission.

"Take this." Robin passed him a Titan communicator. "Use it to keep in touch."

Blunk nodded again and disappeared out the door.

"Think he can handle it?" asked Kell-el, glancing after the Passling.

"He'd better", said Cornelia. "It took five washes of soap mixture and half the morning to make him presentable."

* * *

**_A/N: Ruby'd better watch out, she'd better not sneak, she'd better not shout; I'm telling you why: Blunk the Passling's hot on her trail. Ahahaha! Lol, that was fun. Okay, folks, good news. I'm very nearly almost done with writing the story, so I think I can begin updating daily. No promises, though! If I can write what I want to write today, I will be able to post everyday, but if not, I can't. It's that simple. In other words, if I'm updating daily, you'll see a chapter tomorrow. If you don't see one, you'll know I can't just yet. All righty? _**

**_And whoot! It's a new record for this story. Five reviews on one chapter. Thank you very much, _**_The Violet Rose, lovegarth-1105, TheEclipse, Devilbunny, **and **tradess5**. Also, special thanks to **Movie-Brat **for suggesting the idea of Jinx turning evil and affecting the future so significantly. Although he hasn't reviewed, I still appreciate his idea. It was the spark that set the fire going. So thank you to all, and I hope you continue to support this story and its author. And by support, I mean reviews (hint hint).**_

**Disclaimer: I'm so happy about the review record, I can say this quite easily: I don't own any of the characters mentioned here, excpet for Ruby. Any attempt to use _her _without my permission will be condemned by me, and hopefully, by my loyal readers as well. You have been warned.**


	7. Heated

**Chapter 7**

_"Oye!_ _Da que atras!" _exclaimed Mas as Menos snatched the potato chip from his hand.

_"Esto es la última pastilla. Yo lo deseo", _Menos responded.

_"Yo lo tuve primero!" _cried Mas.

_"Usted ha estado acaparando todas las pastilles", _Menos replied calmly.

_"Bumblebee! Dígalo darle apoya!" _said Mas.

Bumblebee sighed. "Twins, can you just get along, please? I'm trying to read."

Menos stuck his tongue out at Mas, who glared and snatched the chip back, breaking it into three pieces in the process. Mas quickly stuck the piece he was holding into his mouth while Menos picked up the two fallen bits and ate them.

_"El problema resolvió", _they said together.

"Good", said Bumblebee. She turned a page of her book just as the doorbell rang. "What now?" she asked irately of no one in particular. She got up and made her way to the main entrance.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" she called as the bell rang once, twice, thrice more in quick succession. "Jeez."

Jinx and Kid Flash were standing outside, the latter with his finger on the doorbell, ready to press it again. Jinx slapped his hand away.

"Kid! I think you've made our presence clear. Quit ringing the doorbell already."

Kid Flash just grinned at her and looked up at Bumblebee, who had her arms crossed and one eyebrow raised. "Hiya, Bee."

"Hi. Come on in."

Jinx was taking out her Titan communicator as they entered. "Robin? It's Jinx. We're in the East Tower."

"Good", Robin's voice crackled from the other end. "Can you put Bumblebee on the line?"

"Sure", said Jinx as she passed the communicator to Bumblebee with a puzzled look on her face.

Bumblebee accepted the communicator, looking equally confused. "Bumblebee here."

"We've had an…unfortunate development", Robin said gravely.

Bumblebee gripped the communicator tightly. "What unfortunate development?" she asked urgently while Jinx and Kid Flash looked at each other in worried bewilderment.

"It would take too long to explain", said Robin. "Suffice to say Ruby broke into the Tower and Saturn Girl caught her in the act."

"So you've got Ruby?" Bumblebee asked in relief, as Jinx and Kid Flash tried to make sense of the conversation.

"No", Robin replied. "She didn't take kindly to being discovered."

"You're being cryptic, Robin", Bumblebee complained.

"Sorry. I can't reveal too much, because I know Jinx and Kid Flash are listening, and they wouldn't understand a thing until you fill them in."

"So I can tell them the whole story?"

"Yes."

"Right, I'll do that. Now stop avoiding the subject and tell me plainly what happened."

"Ruby zapped Saturn Girl with some sort of mind ray, but she seems fine now."

"'Seems' is a word I'd rather was not in that sentence."

"So would we all, but we can't make any assumptions at this point. Explain the whole situation to Jinx and Kid Flash and be prepared for anything. Robin out."

The communicator blanked, and Bumblebee sighed. She handed the communicator back to Jinx, who looked hopeful.

"So, do we get the full story now?" the magic-user asked.

Bumblebee looked around to see Mas and Menos zoom into sight, finally curious about who was at the door, and Speedy and Aqualad appeared from the opposite direction. "Yeah. You do."

**********

_31__st__ century_

Bouncing Boy, Triplicate Girl, Star Boy, and Shrinking Violet were seated in the main room of Legion HQ, and Cosmic Boy was standing in front of them with several holographic screens floating beside him.

"All right, here's what we know so far", he said as he nimbly moved his fingers across one screen. "Ruby escaped from Takron Galtose two months ago and caused a mass jailbreak to keep us busy while she headed for the 21st century. Among the villains who escaped were the Fatal Five, the Legion of Supervillains, several members of the Dark Circle, Alexis Luthor, and Starfinger. When we finally put them all back, we discovered that Ruby had gone AWOL, so Saturn Girl, Lightning Lad, Brainiac 5, Timber Wolf, and Phantom Girl went back to 2009 to warn the Titans. When their time-bubble disappeared, it created a distortion in the time-space continuum that resulted in an entirely new future, one where the Titan Jinx reverted back to evil and came forward in time to the 31st century. It is this very reason that makes us suspect that it was Ruby who initiated the change and then brought Jinx here with her and set her loose on New Metropolis. In any event, Jinx remained in the 31st century, causing history to drastically alter its course, and possibly causing a gaping time loop which, if not closed in time, could eventually cause the destruction of history itself."

Bouncing Boy sighed in exasperation. They'd already been through this half a dozen times before. "Yes, Cosmic Boy, we all know what's already happened. Can we get on with it, please?"

Cosmic Boy glared at him, clearly affronted, but he cleared his throat and moved on. "Invisible Kid is now in the United Planets' Official Library searching for anything that we might have missed. Though Phantom Girl couldn't find any useful information in any of the prophetic scrolls, we may still find something in the history books, since Jinx turning evil is undoubtedly a significant, albeit disastrous, historical development.

"Once we learned of Jinx's involvement in this whole thing, we sent Kell-el to the 21st century to warn the others and to back them up, since the time stream from the 41st century to the 21st was, at the time, relatively unharmed. We can keep in touch through the time-space continuum communication device that Triplicate Girl, against protocol" – here he gave a short glare at the Carggite girl – "gave to the Titans East leader Bumblebee when they were here for our little adventure last year."

Triplicate Girl had the grace to look ashamed, but everyone was aware it was all an act, knowing that she was smugly delighted to have done that because the communication device was already in place at a time when they couldn't risk sending anything through time. Even Cosmic Boy was not really angry at her for breaking protocol, and everyone knew that too, but he felt he had to keep up appearances to maintain some semblance of order.

"Now, while Saturn Girl and the others are in the 21st century trying to change the course of the future", continued Cosmic Boy as he operated a different holo-screen, "We have to do our part on the other end of the dimensional time spectrum. Since we are now living through Jinx's reign of terror, and since we've technically already lived through her takeover of the city, we have information that is necessary to prevent this chain of events that leads to the current future. This information we can communicate to those in the 21st century via the aforementioned communication device."

Cosmic Boy turned to a third screen, which he manipulated with a quick touch of his fingers. "Now, Shrinking Violet has a theory that if we can manage to recover enough information and communicate it all to the Legionnaires and Titans in the 21st century, they will have enough knowledge to prevent certain key events that have caused the condition of the future to deteriorate such. This being the case, overstretched as we are, we have to send in one or two more Legionnaires to help Invisible Kid in the United Planets' Library, because, ironical as it may seem, time is of the essence here. Violet has made several calculations and she has determined that the point of no return, the ultimate happening that changed the course of the future, was Jinx's conversion to evil. This is the one event that must be stopped at all costs by the heroes in the past, because once it occurs, there is no turning back, and the future is doomed. The timeline all the way up to the 31st century, certainly, and at the very least. According to Triplicate Girl's report, the 41st century is perfectly all right, with the exception of a few minor changes to the timeline - but we can't assume. The historical ramifications of Jinx turning evil could extend all the way up to te 50th century, for all we know.

"Ruby has undoubtedly been thinking all this through during the eight months she was in her cell, and we can safely conclude that she has formulated a plan based on these facts. When she broke out and left a mess for us to clean up, she had the opportunity to confirm her theory by researching genetic science and studying alternate probability physics. Once she had all the information she needed, she finalized her scheme and went to the 21st century with one goal in mind: to alter the future so much that it works out in her favor and cannot be reversed if we fail. Since her personal vendetta is against us, we can also assume that this plan also results in the possible prevention of the founding of the Legion, or its disbanding, or perhaps even our deaths." Cosmic Boy looked at them all seriously.

"This is why we cannot fail. We have one shot at this, to reverse what has happened and redeem the future. In the process, we could quite probably be saving our own lives. So let's do this."

**********

"Let me get this straight", said Jinx. "Six months ago, you guys went to the 31st century with Superman and Batman and some Guardian group called W.I.T.C.H. to help this Legion of Superheroes fight Ruby and put her in supervillain prison. Along the way, you, Starfire, Batgirl, Aqualad's sister, Will Vandom, and Saturn Girl were kidnapped by Ruby in her scheme to use your powers, you met a series of the original Greek gods, you brought Saturn Girl back from the dead, and you saw 31st century New Metropolis all before returning back here at the exact same instant you left?"

"That pretty much sums it up", Bumblebee admitted, while Speedy and Aqualad chorused, "Yeah."

"And now Ruby's broken out of prison and she's back in the 21st century because she wants me in order to alter the course of the future", Jinx continued.

"Latest update from Robin confirms that", Speedy affirmed. He did not, however, add the fact that the reason Ruby wanted Jinx was to turn her evil again. Robin had explicitly told them not to, because Brainy had mentioned during their communication that the details of significant historical developments could not be revealed to the person who was directly responsible for those events.

"And you couldn't tell me all this before, because…"

"Because, since you and Ruby are both connected through magic", replied Aqualad, "she would know that the Legionnaires are here if you knew. So we had to keep it a secret. It doesn't make a difference now, though, since she already knows."

"Confusing", was all Jinx had to say.

"I'll say", Kid Flash agreed. "I think I'd like to meet these Legion folks, though. Sound like they do some pretty big stuff."

Kid Flash had no idea how close he was to the mark.

**********

Ruby stepped out of the teleporter bubble quickly and made it disappear almost immediately after that. She'd set the coordinates for a remote, secluded area a few miles away from Evian-les-Bains, a French city along the Alps mountain border between France and Switzerland, but you never know with these temperamental devices, and since she had subjected it to a trip through the dimensional time barrier to get it to the 21st century, it was wise not to take anything for granted. But she seemed to have gotten it right – _No surprises there, _she thought to herself as she looked around.

She was indeed in a lonely countryside. There wasn't anyone in sight and she could see a large, stone and metal structure not too far away, proving that she had landed close to where she intended to go.

Ensuring that no one was watching, she threw the grey, hooded cloak she had stolen from a tailor shop in Jump City over herself and lifted the hood over her stunning red hair. Looking around once more, she took her bearings in relation to the building in the distance, and started walking toward it with long, loping strides.

**********

The afternoon sun beat down on downtown Jump City, heating the rooftops and roads. It was rather hot, and as such, not many people were out. There were just a few citizens wandering the streets as they tried to stay out of the sun, and the shopkeepers remained in the comfortable shade of their roofed shops. Supposedly that was just as well, because the fewer people there were about, the easier it was for a squeaky clean, albeit still green, Passling to avoid being spotted an unsuspecting passerby. As he crawled along, sniffing the ground with his rear end in the air, he made quite a strange sight.

Blunk wove his way between the streets, trying to stick to the alleyways while he followed the strange scent of "red lady". He was also trying not to get dirty or smelly, because he knew that if he was smelled by Ruby, she'd send him back to Titans' Tower violently. Also, there was that lovely bag or garbage at stake.

"Guardians need Blunk's help", he muttered to himself, supposedly for his own amusement. "Must find Red Lady, they say. Blunk must follow scent and find Red Lady. Then Blunk get garbage from Caleb. Pretty, smelly garbage. Mmm-mm."

Blunk sniffed harder, spurred on by the thought of his reward. He still hadn't found a scent to match he one he'd smelled back in Titans' Tower, but that could change. And it did. Down a dark, narrow alley, he caught the distinctive whiff of magic, cherries, and tea – at least, that's what Ruby smelled like to him. He shuffled toward the alley, following the scent.

"Bingo!" he said delightedly.

**********

Poison Ivy had changed into something less conspicuous. She was now wearing a grass-green turtleneck with long sleeves over a short, beige skirt with dark brown leggings. She had also dyed her hair black to deter any passersby from recognizing her and calling the police hotline. She would have preferred to use brown dye, as it was the only other color that would really go with her skin tone, but black had been the only thing dark enough to fully disguise her fiery red locks. And though she had had to leave her giant plant stalk rooted to a park, she could create another one in a moment's instant. For now, though, all she needed was to listen to what the plants were telling her.

_How silly people are, _she thought. _They think they're safe in a field, because plants can't reveal anything. To a normal person, they can't. _Her eyes flashed. _But I'm not a normal person. And I bet Ruby made the same mistake. _

_ A mistake that's going to cost her dearly._

_

* * *

_

_**A/N: Hooray, daily updates! How do I know? Well, I'm the author, aren't I? - and the fact that I uploaded this chapter the day after I posted the last one.......Anyways, I checked my email today and what do I find? I find a notification from FanFiction, with the email title "Review Alert", along with the number 10 in brackets, right at the very top of my inbox. 10!!! I'm so happy I could squeal and jump for joy. Granted, six of those reviews were from **Mirror's Mirage **(who found my story late but was nice enough to leave a review on each chapter, anyway) - but I don't care. I mean, 10 reviews! 10!! I'm not going to complain - especially sine it's the most number of reviews I have ever had at one time. 10! Thank you very much to **Mirror's Mirage, The Violet Rose, lovegarth-1105, Devilbunny, **and **TheEclipse **for taking the time to, again, leave a review. I really appreciate it!**_

_**Side note: Anybody who can guess what Ruby's doing in France before I officially reveal it in the story will get a special sneak preview spoiler for the end! If you want it, of course. Oh, and the chapter title, "Heated", refers to the fact that things are heating up fast (it may also have something to do with the fact that this chapter is mostly set in the daytime, under the sun).  
**_

**Disclaimer: Of everything in here, only Ruby, story plot and any other figments of my imagination belong to me.  
**


	8. The Ruby is Red

**Chapter 8**

Taranee almost jumped to grab her Titan communicator off the coffee table when it rang. They'd been waiting for two hours for word from Blunk – during which time they had laid out some basic plans – and the Guardians would have to return to Heatherfield soon.

"Yes?" she answered while everyone crowded around her.

Blunk's green face looked up from the screen. "Blunk find Red Lady", he announced in a satisfied tone, exciting everyone. "Blunk find her scent. Blunk can sniff trail now."

"Oh." Taranee looked disappointed. "You didn't actually find her?"

"No." Blunk looked puzzled. What else would they think? "But Blunk can find her now. Blunk can sniff trail", he added helpfully.

Will sighed. "Okay, Blunk. You do that. Call us when you've got more news."

Blunk nodded and closed his communicator without another word and Will sank into her chair. "Well, at least that's one good development."

"It's still not enough", Phantom Girl said gloomily. "We're running out of time.

"I know, but we can't do anything much until we've located Ruby." Saturn Girl rubbed her arm before standing up. "In the meantime, I suggest we all get some rest. This is the calm before the storm, and I'm pretty sure that when the storm strikes, we'll need all the energy we've got."

"Yeah, we should go", said Will. "It's getting late, and there aren't any time devices to return us to five minutes ago."

"Which is so annoying, when you think about it", Cornelia complained as she stretched. "Now we've got to watch our timing, on top of everything else."

"It's not like we haven't done it before", Hay Lin said reasonably.

Will slashed the air twice with the Heart of Kandrakar, opening two folds, one within the other. "We'll have to cut through Meridian."

"Meri-what?" asked Cyborg.

Beast Boy pointed at the Heart. "I though that thing could take you anywhere."

"Actually, it can take us anywhere in different world", Taranee corrected. "The folds are only for inter-dimensional travel*. To get to another place on the same world, we have to fold to a different one first. Or we could use teletransportation."

"Not now, though", said Will. "We're strung up and nervous. Not the best condition to teletransport in. Better take it safe."

Cornelia sighed as she flew to the fold. "We could visit Elyon, I suppose."

"No time", Irma disagreed. "We'd be delayed for an hour. We should just go home and visit another time – maybe when we don't have a psychopathic, magical red lady from the future hell-bent on revenge."

The Guardians, Caleb, and Matt entered the fold and disappeared.

* * *

The facility was constructed on a rocky hillock which ended in a sheer drop on the other side. _That's the problem with mountain structures, _Ruby thought to herself. _One side is perfectly level, and then the other side just drops down. It's a long way to fall. _She cackled.

The building was a virtual fortress, hewn out of rock and coated with specially treated metal with interior walls and doors of reinforced steel. Though it was two storeys high and topped twenty-five feet, there were no windows anywhere, and, though most people knew better than to approach the facility, it had a level of security so high it would be impossible for anyone to break in – and even if they did, they would never make it out without being caught.

Unless, of course, the person who broke in happened to be a woman one thousand years from the future with at least a level five intellect and magic powers.

Ruby strolled casually up to the heavy double doors – metal, of course. This was protected by a complex eight-digit code, a thumbprint scanner, and high-tech burglar alarm with its own four-digit disabling code.

"Oh, honestly", Ruby grumbled. Making sure no one was looking, she took out a ruby from a fold in her cloak – the same ruby, incidentally, that used to sit on her golden scepter.

When she'd broken out of her cell in Takron Galtose, she'd retrieved her scepter and her hover board, caused the mass jailbreak, and slipped away quietly to do research, finalize her plan, and collect the items she would need. She had pried the ruby lose – the rod would have been too unwieldy when stealth was called for and the ruby was all she really needed at the moment – and sent both the golden rod and the hover board to the magical dimension, from which she could easily recall it if she needed to, and she didn't have to carry it around. She had done the same with her case of the technology and objects she had snuck out from venues in both the 31st and the 21st centuries. Now she had everything she needed ready to be called back from the dimension where it was weightless and didn't get in her way.

"I love magic", she said smugly to herself as she used the ruby to amplify the potency of the subtle stream of magic she was channeling at the alarm. In a matter of seconds the light changed from red to green, the magic having messed with its circuitry and tricked its electronic brain into thinking the correct code had been punched.

The second code, the one with eight digits, was slightly trickier because it would have to be typed, or it would alert the security guards within. No matter. Ruby simply used her red gem to reveal what digits the pad was wired to accept and she tapped the keys accordingly, disabling that code.

The third front-door security feature was so easy to break it was laughable. Ruby summoned her case full of things from the magical dimension and cut a piece of sticky plastic from the roll she had. After blowing on the thumbprint scanner so that the oily sebum residue of the last thumb that had pressed against it became visible, she stuck the plastic, sticky side down, pressed her gloved thumb against the top side, and waited for the scanner to "confirm" the print. Once it had, the doors slid open, allowing Ruby full access to the foyer. The whole process had only taken three minutes.

The hall within was large and spacious, but cold. As she entered, Ruby summoned a curious, phonograph-like instrument from the magical dimension. This was a video-feed device. When operated, it would project ten seconds of the same video footage – ending with the footage of the time it was activated – in a loop, fooling whoever was watching the security cameras. In one swift, fluid motion, Ruby set the device on the ground and pressed the button to activate it, all before she stepped into view of the cameras she knew were hidden within the reception hall.

There was a polished desk up ahead with a logbook for the staff and guests (whenever there were any), an alarm buzzer, a telephone with an intercom system, and a touch-screen computer and keyboard. Behind the desk sat a man in a metallic blue lab coat. As Ruby approached he looked up in surprise.

"Hey, you don't work here", he accused, his finger automatically reaching for the alarm buzzer as he took in the woman before him and the odd machine she had set on the floor several paces back. "How did you –" He broke off as Ruby knocked him out with a red energy blast.

"Pathetic", she said derisively as she dragged him off the chair. "You 21st century people are so primitive. Someone knows the access codes and you expect to see a staff member. Have you ever heard of intelligent robbers with magical powers?" she asked the unconscious reception clerk. "No, of course not. You don't even believe time travel is possible. Stupid humans." She glanced toward the cameras and waved sardonically, knowing full well the electronic eyes could not record her presence because of the loop they were being fed.

"Now, where are you?" she muttered as she typed in a search command to the computer. "Ah!"

Ruby scanned the page that popped up for any useful information and stored it away in her memory. She then checked only a few other things before she returned the computer to its original state. She only wanted one person from this facility, and she only needed enough information to get her.

* * *

Poison Ivy, acting on what the plants had told her, quickly arrived at an empty field. The long, willowy grass here bent gently in the wind, but to a person with plant vibes (like Poison Ivy), the grass would relate a story of incredible power and energy, technological in nature, that had exploded in the center of the field. Ruby.

The problem was, the trail ended there. The grass could not tell Ivy which way Ruby had taken next. _She must have teleported._

"Damn", Ivy muttered as she stamped her foot. "Why didn't I think of that? She's from the 31st century, after all."

She ranted at the sky for several seconds before calming herself with a deep breath. "Never mind. I know the Titan Jinx has something to do with her presence here. I can use that to my advantage." She was about to turn and go, when she noticed a small green figure approaching the field from the same direction she had come from.

As the figure drew nearer, she could discern a strange-looking face with a nose sniffing the ground, a pair of hands and two knees crawling along behind, and a covered bottom sticking out in the air. The creature was muttering under its breath, and as it came forward, oblivious to Ivy, she could make out what it was saying.

"Must find red lady – Guardians depending on Blunk…and Blunk get nice, smelly garbage when Blunk is finished. Yum-yum."

Ivy stared at the Passling in amazement, her brain doing some quick thinking. She knew the Guardians, of course, having fought them in the 31st century. So they'd teamed up with the Titans again and sent this creature to track Ruby, had they?

She now had a new card to play, and the beginnings of a plan formed in her cunning mind.

"Excuse me!" she called to Blunk.

* * *

The Titans and Legionnaires were sitting quietly in the main room of Titans' Tower. After a few more minutes of discussion about what they were going to do about Ruby, they had all fallen into a comfortable, contemplative silence.

"Want to go for pizza?" Beast Boy asked finally.

"Sure!" Cyborg said enthusiastically.

"If it's all right with the Legion…" Robin shrugged.

"Why not?" Lightning Lad agreed. "It's one of the few things that survived till the 31st century." (Kell-el refrained from pointing out that pizza wasn't around in the 41st century.)

"That's 'cause pizza is, like, one of the greatest slices of American culture!" Beast Boy exclaimed. He looked around. "Get it? Pizza, slice…"

The Legionnaires stared at him blankly while his Titan teammates groaned.

* * *

Ruby maneuvered her way through the cold, dim corridors, being careful to walk within the security camera's blind spots, activating and reactivating the video-feed device she held in one hand as she passed each hallway and room. She encountered only one assistant and two janitors on her way, since she had had the foresight to pick a time to enter when hardly anybody was around at the facility. The ones unfortunate enough to get in her way were treated to a short, tiny stream of magic each, which effectively convinced them that she was never there.

She finally stopped outside a thick metal door with a turning wheel to open the three heavy bolts that intersected it at the top, bottom, and middle. It was additionally protected by two authorization codes that had to be punched in without a single mistake before the wheel could be turned.

Ruby frowned as she thought hard. Her magic took the form of energy blasts and persuasion powers, and occasionally containment units, and it wasn't particularly subtle. She had modified her ability to persuade with her ruby and used that power to decode the security features outside, but those weren't as sensitive as these codes. If she attempted to use her magic here, she was likely to cause a cog to slip and alert the security guards – and she didn't know how many digits these required, either. What to do, what to do?

She snapped her fingers as an idea occurred to her. Summoning a 31st-century portable microscopic scanner from the magical dimension, she switched it on and ran it over the number pad, searching for the keys which were the most worn. The high-powered electron view provided by the scanner enabled her to identify the tiny chips and cracks of the keys which had been pressed the most. She managed to isolate seven out of the nine numbers on the pad – 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9. Now she just had to determine which of these numbers made up which code in what order.

She sent the scanner back where it had come from and pulled two other devices to the material world – a stethoscope-like apparatus with a tiny rubber funnel connected by hollow wires to two earphones and a circular gadget with a turning dial. These were two other famous devices, especially in criminal circles. The first one, called a code listener, had been invented in 2981 by a human criminal genius to listen to the sound of the cogs a certain number key moved within a number code pad to determine the sequence of numbers in the code. He had created several code listeners and sold them to other criminals at high prices. The Science Police had finally succeeded in obtaining the last such device in 3001, but for "purposes of study", a corrupt technician had convinced them to leave them intact.

The second device, the suspender, when affixed to a code pad, suspended the alarm system within the pad, enabling the thief to press whichever buttons he pleased for a formerly unlimited amount of time without the alarm system alerting anybody. This gadget had been invented in 2865, before the emergence of cleverer, extra-sensitive alarms, which effectively reduced the time window to twenty seconds, thus rendering the suspender obsolete.

It had taken Ruby much planning – most of which she had done in prison – to steal these and the other pieces of technology from their various safes around the 31st-century universe. Most of the gadgets she had brought with her were obsolete in the 31st century, but were more than well equipped to deal with 21st century technology.

And deal with it she did, using the suspender to lift the alarm security while she punched each of the seven numbers with one hand while holding the code listener to the pad with the other hand. After several minutes of listening to the cogs and nine processes of trial and error, she knew both codes – one a four-digit combination, the other a six-digit one. She punched them in and turned the wheel, releasing the three bolts.

The door swung open, revealing a medium-sized room, its walls, floor, and ceiling coated with metal. The bottom half of the walls were hidden by machines of all shapes and sizes, with blinking lights and power controls and computer monitors. In the center of the room, within the thick, cold vapor being emitted by a ceiling-fixed mist generator, atop a fitted, circular, metal pedestal that was soldered to the floor, stood a giant ice cube, bearing within it the frozen, but unmistakable figure of a powerfully-built French woman with short, straight black hair – a woman known very well to the Teen Titans: the infamous Madame Rouge.

* * *

**_A/N: Yes, it was Madame Rouge which brought Ruby to France. _**_Devilbunny **mentioned Madame Rouge in her review, but in the wrong context (sorry). **leath, **a new reviewer, came close. He (or she - can't really tell from the name - my apologies to him/her) guessed The Brain and Monsieur Mallah, but that wasn't completely right either. I can exclusively reveal that neither of those villains will make an appearance. Good try, though. Maybe next time. Thanks to **The Violet Rose, lovegarth-1105, TheEclipse, **and of course,** Devilbunny_ **_and _**_leath **for reviewing! (By the way, **Devilbunny, TheEclipse **- what happened to your brother, **Dangerzone**? I was expecting him to read this fic too, as he remarked in his last review on **One Year Before **that he'd be waiting for the next story.)**_

_**P.S. I think in **The Threat of the Ruby, **I might have implied that the Guardians fold anywhere they wanted to go (including to destinations on the same world). That's wrong. As stated here, they fold between **worlds** and teletransport to venues on the same world. Sorry for my mistake, however subtle it is.**_

**Disclaimer: Arghh! No!**


	9. The Ivy is Poisonous

**Chapter 9**

Blunk stared blankly at the woman in front of him, his little brain trying to figure out if she was trustworthy or not. Meanwhile, Ivy sighed and tapped her foot impatiently.

"Listen – Blunk, was it? – I don't have all day", she said, trying to keep her annoyance out of her voice. "I've got better things to do than wait for you to decide. You either trust me or you don't. I might be able to locate this Ruby character for you with the equipment your team might have. I'm willing to help, but I can't help you if you don't take me to the rest of your team. So make up your mind."

"Blunk thinking, Blunk thinking", the Passling said in response, holding his chin in his fingers and looking thoughtful.

"Well, think faster", Ivy urged in exasperation. How could a group as powerful as W.I.T.C.H. be partnered with such a dimwitted creature as this?

"Well…" mused Blunk. "Okay", he agreed cautiously, hoping he wasn't about to plunge the Guardians and everyone else into a wilder ride than they were already in by inviting this strange new person to join them.

"Excellent." Ivy smiled. "Shall we get started?"

* * *

Almost before the two steaming pizzas arrived, Beast Boy and Cyborg had their utensils ready. When the waiter placed the plates on the table, a delicious aroma wafted through the air.

"Oh, boy!" exclaimed Cyborg, his mouth visibly watering. "I haven't had a good pizza in ages!"

Robin laughed. "It's only been a week since we were last here."

"Still too long", Beast Boy answered as he grabbed a slice of pizza, bit off a big chunk, and chewed.

The others followed suit, talking and chattering as they ate, with the exception of Raven, who read her book in silence as she ate while still following the dialogue; Brainiac 5, who could find nothing to contribute to the conversation; and Saturn Girl, who seemed to be disturbed by something the others could not fathom. Beside her, Lightning Lad noticed but said nothing, instead launching into a retelling of the Legion's many encounters, aided by Phantom Girl and Timber Wolf.

As they were finishing up the last remnants of their pizzas, Robin's communicator rang. He unclipped it from his belt and flipped it open. Taranee's perplexed face greeted him.

"Robin, we've got a new development", she informed him. "Blunk's brought home someone who says she can help us find Ruby."

Robin jerked upright. "Who?"

"Um, we're not quite sure", Taranee admitted. "She says her name is Iris."

"Iris?" Robin thought for a moment. "I don't think I know her. Is she there with you?"

"Yes, hold on." Taranee passed her communicator to a young woman with jet black hair that clashed oddly with her skin tone. She looked to be about the same age he was.

"Hello?" she said, somewhat nervously.

"You're Iris?" Robin asked. She nodded. "Taranee says you said you could help us find Ruby?"

"I don't know much about this Ruby person you're looking for", Ivy 'admitted', lying through her teeth. "But I know the Titans must have a good reason to be looking for her."

Robin brushed aside the veiled compliment and queried, "How did you find out we were trying to find Ruby?"

"I happened to bump into your tracker – Blunk", Iris replied. "And I couldn't help overhearing what he was muttering to himself. I thought I'd offer my help. Are you willing to accept it?"

Robin thought hard, wondering if he could trust this girl. He looked around at his friends, who had been listening very intently, with a questioning glance on his masked face.

"Well?" he inquired of Saturn Girl.

"I can't read minds through a video feed", she said in response. "I have to be there in person."

"Raven?" he asked.

"I don't know", Raven admitted. "It's suspicious that she happened to encounter Blunk within 24 hours of our sending him out. He was told to keep a low profile, and according to the Guardians, he's very good at doing that, so she would have had to meet him somewhere secluded."

"And since she did, it brings us to the question: What was she doing there?" Cyborg concluded.

"It could be just a coincidence", Phantom Girl offered.

"I don't think so. It's too suspicious to be one." Kell-el frowned. "I don't like the look of this."

"Neither do I, but do we have a choice?" Lightning Lad asked. "We can't keep chasing Ruby around. If she can help us, I say we accept."

"Yeah", Beast Boy agreed.

"I too shall give Iris the benefit of the doubt", Starfire declared.

"Sometimes that doesn't end so well", Brainy muttered under his breath. Out loud, he said, "I suppose we can agree to a tenacious trust. But it would be best if we kept our guard up."

"Agreed", Robin concurred. He turned back to the communicator. "All right, Iris", he told her. "If you really want to help, come to Titans' Tower at nine o' clock tomorrow. We'll sort things out then."

"All right", Iris said cheerily before passing the communicator back to Taranee.

"Did you say nine o' clock tomorrow?" the Fire Guardian asked.

"Yes", replied Robin.

"We can't make it. We've got school. But we'll come by in the afternoon to see how things are going."

Robin nodded. "Okay."

"Do you have any additional instructions?" Taranee inquired then. "About Blunk, I mean."

"Send him back out", said Robin. "It might be better to have him continue looking for Ruby. I don't entirely trust Iris."

"I don't either, but what can we do?" Taranee shrugged. "I'll send Blunk out again and let the others know what's happened. Bye." The screen blanked.

Robin put his communicator back on his belt and looked around at ten solemn faces, each hoping they had made the right decision in deciding to trust this Iris person.

* * *

Meanwhile, a little way outside Taranee Cook's house, Iris, or rather, Ivy, rejoiced.

"The gamble has paid off", she cried gleefully to herself. "The Titans have accepted me, albeit suspiciously, but now – now I can put my plan in action. I don't care who wins as long as I get my revenge, and I shall do whatever it takes to get it!"

* * *

Ruby examined the frozen figure inside the ice block with a critical eye, her fingers resting lightly atop the control board that regulated the temperature. After a moment's thought, she ran her fingers nimbly over the keys to punch in the authorization code she had already figured out and turned the temperature knob to a higher degree.

Instantly the room became noticeably warmer as the hiss of the mist generator ceased and the vapor surrounding the ice block slowly faded. Then the ice itself began to melt, trickles of water escaping from their solid state.

After several minutes, the ice was completely melted – all that remained was a large puddle of water. The ice cube's occupant took a little longer to get her bearings, but when she did, and when she spotted Ruby, she stretched out her arms longer than humanly possible and grabbed the 31st century woman.

"Where am I?" she demanded with a heavy French accent.

"You're in the Cyrogenetic Facility in France, just outside Evian-les-Bains", Ruby answered calmly. "You've been cyrogenetically frozen in here for some time, but now I've set you free."

Madame Rouge seemed to consider the reply for a moment before she released Ruby. "And why would you do zat?"

Ruby looked smug. "Because I need you, Madame Rouge. I have some plans that I cannot implement without you, and I think, after you hear my story, that you would be pleased to help me."

* * *

Ivy rang the doorbell of Titans' Tower promptly at nine and waited for someone to open the door. When Timber Wolf answered her ring, she nearly fell backwards. She had not been expecting to see any of the Legionnaires here.

_Curses! Why'd they have to come? Now I've got to be extra careful. I only prepared for the powers of the Titans. If Saturn Girl is here…_

"Iris, I presume", Timber Wolf said.

"Yes." Ivy pulled herself together and assumed her Iris persona. "I wasn't aware the Titans had recruited new members. You are…?"

Timber Wolf smiled grimly. "I'm Timber Wolf, but I'm not a member of the Titans. We'll explain inside."

Ivy took that as an invitation to enter the Tower, and she did so. Timber Wolf led her to the main room, where the others were.

When the introductions (_As if I didn't know them all already, _was Ivy's main thought during this procedure) were over, Robin asked, "Now, Iris, what can you do to help us?"

Ivy drew herself up to her full height. "I have powers that I can use to help you locate Ruby. I can converse with and control plants."

"We have someone who can do that already", Phantom Girl pointed out. "She's not here, but she is helping us."

_Cornelia, _Ivy thought venomously. Was _everybody_ involved in this?

"And does this someone also have the knowledge of the technology needed to enhance her powers to extend over the entire earth, thus allowing for easy location of Ruby?" Ivy asked out loud. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Saturn Girl studying her intently. _Damn! If she reads my mind, it's all over…_

"No", Raven admitted. She scrutinized Iris with a watchful eye. "Do you?"

"I most certainly do", Ivy proclaimed. She then proceeded to explain in careful detail what sort of equipment she would need, trying to ignore Saturn Girl's probing look.

She wasn't the only one who noticed how Saturn Girl was observing her. Lightning Lad, ever watchful where his girlfriend was concerned, also perceived her look of consternation.

_"What's wrong?" _he mouthed to her.

"I'll tell you later", she whispered back.

Meanwhile, Ivy was still describing the technology they would use to find Ruby, if they decided to let Iris help them.

"We'll also need a power generator, and several cables submerged in a chemical electrode solution of sulfur, zinc, and iron oxide, and…"

At that point Cyborg jumped in and exclaimed, "Are you building an electric company or a giant battery?"

Ivy looked at him coolly. "Neither, Cyborg. I'm building a machine which will supply enough power to the part of my brain which controls my plant conversing powers via the electric cables. The electrode solution will prevent me from getting electrocuted, and a satellite worldwide power grid will enable me to receive information from plants anywhere."

"Hm." Cyborg mulled it over. "It's feasible", he announced at last.

Ivy glanced around with the slightest hint of a triumphant smile playing about her lips. "Well?" she asked.

Robin looked at Saturn Girl, who hesitated before she nodded once, and then turned to face Iris.

"All right, Iris, we'll trust you on this", he said. "Raven, help Iris get the equipment from town."

"I'll go with her", Timber Wolf said in response to Robin's questioning glance.

Saturn Girl noticed and said, "Robin, to make this easier, why don't we defer to you for matters like these? Don't worry about overstepping. We won't mind."

"Are you sure?" Robin asked.

"Yes." Saturn Girl smiled reassuringly at him.

"Okay. Cyborg, Brainy, prepare the roof for the machine. We'll be constructing there. Starfire, contact Titans East, give them an update and check on Jinx. Beast Boy, you're on patrol duty with Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl, and Phantom Girl. Go check the prison to make sure no villain's planning to escape – and if he is, make sure he can't. Kell, come with me. I have an idea."

* * *

Madame Rouge leaned against the tree and considered Ruby's proposal. They were outside the cyrogenetic facility, hidden from sight by a clump of trees along a slope. Ruby had just woven a tale of the 31st century, of the Legion of Superheroes, and of her plan to change the timeline to make it more favorable for villains of all kind.

"All right", Madame Rouge agreed. "I suppose I can help you."

"Excellent." Ruby brought her hands together in glee. "You'll be my second-in-command. The next step is to gather as many villains as possible for our cause. We must be careful in selecting our associates, though. We don't want to end up with a rebellion on our hands – or worse, a betrayal. If those Legionnaires find out what I'm doing, we're done for."

"I have someone in mind", Rouge said. "My previous master, the Brain. He is also within that facility –"

"No", Ruby said hurriedly. She did not want the Brain involved in any part of her plan. He was too intelligent. He could usurp her position as the head honcho or fix it such that she was out of the picture or both. No, it was best to keep the Brain away. But what was she to tell Madame Rouge?

"What I mean to say is", Ruby amended, "His last plan did not work so well, did it? The Titans stopped him and froze you. You have been in that facility for well over a year. The Brain was wrong. He could disrupt all our plans."

Madame Rouge frowned. "Perhaps you are right", she conceded. "But you too could be wrong. What is to prevent you from failing?"

"Were you not listening to my plans?" Ruby asked irritably. "It is failsafe. So long as we are not betrayed, the Titans and the Legionnaires will never guess what we are actually doing until it is too late."

Rouge thought over that for a moment. "Very well", she said. "Let us not waste any more time, then. We have business to do."

"Oh, indeed", Ruby agreed.

* * *

**_A/N: Happy New Year, everyone! I know it's a bit late, but I totally forgot about it yesterday, and I was only reminded when all my loyal reviewers (including the newest ones) wished me a Happy New Year. Thanks for the well-wishes, and thanks to _**_The Violet Rose, lovegarth-1105, leath; Devilbunny, TheEclipse, **and their brother **DangerZone **(I must thank you two for getting him to review, I'm really grateful) for all the reviews which made my day.**_

**Disclaimer: How many times have we been through this and how many times have I given the same answer? N-O.**


	10. A Horrible Revelation

**Chapter 10**

"Have you any idea what this could mean for us?" Cosmic Boy thundered with a note of worry when Shrinking Violet informed him Invisible Kid had discovered from the history books that when Jinx turned evil, she'd killed the Titans – and whoever was with them. "It's an absolute disaster! If Ruby succeeds, there will be no Legion. We've got to stop her."

Bouncing Boy swiveled around on his chair. "It seems to me that Ruby managed to completely suppress Jinx's good side and encourage the bad side until it became the epitome of evil. To kill her own teammates…"

"…is all part of Ruby's plan", Shrinking Violet finished for him. "Ruby knows what she has to do to get Jinx to crack – and turn completely and irrevocably evil. We have to prevent that at all costs because if we don't, the course of history will change more drastically than I can say – for the worse. If we don't stop it, the future is going to be a very bleak place."

"But what about the 41st century?" asked Star Boy. "Trip said it was completely fine."

"Maybe the changes hadn't reached the 41st century yet", Violet answered. "See, the time-space continuum is like a fabric. When you tear one part of the fabric and keep pulling, it takes a bit of time to tear the whole piece. Likewise, if you change one part of the timeline, it takes a while for the far-reaching effects to spread to every time period. And the further away a certain time is from the time of the change, the longer it takes for the event to change things in that time. I think the changes have probably reached the 41st century by now, but there's no way to tell."

"All right", said Cosmic Boy. "Let's assume the 41st century has also changed now. This makes it all the more important. If Ruby succeeds in turning Jinx evil, there may very well be no heroes left, at least for a thousand years. We need to contact Titans East again and let them know the latest update. Trip…" He nodded to Triplicate Girl, who sped off to the computer which had the coordinating device of the one she'd given Bumblebee. "Vi, keep calculating; Bouncing Boy, guard duty; Star Boy, evening patrol." Cosmic Boy turned to go.

"Where are you going?" asked Bouncing Boy.

"I need to check on something", Cosmic Boy replied.

* * *

Kid Flash sped into the room bearing several paper bags, which he began to pass around one by one. "Okay, here we are. Submarine sandwich for Jinx, double chicken cheeseburger for Speedy, pasta salad for Bumblebee, non-seafood Mediterranean rice for Aqualad, corn and chicken nachos and spicy-hot Mexican salsa for the twins, and an extra large traditional hot dog for me." He withdrew said hot dog from his paper bag and took a large bite.

"You were slower than usual today", Speedy commented with a smirk. Kid Flash shrugged nonchalantly.

"Hey, blame Aqualad. It was his Mediterranean dish that took five minutes to prepare."

Said Atlantean rolled his eyes. "Like you care. You were gone less than fifteen minutes."

Kid Flash grinned and took another huge bite out of his hot dog just as the large plasma communication screen flashed to life.

Bumblebee jumped as she heard the beep that signaled that the incoming call was being received by the time-space continuum communication device. Moving faster than anyone expected, she ducked in front of Jinx and Kid Flash, blocking their view of the screen.

"Sorry guys", she said apologetically. "Secret timeline business."

"Can't we at least meet whoever's calling?" asked Jinx.

Bumblebee considered that. "I suppose it'll be all right", she conceded. "Won't it, Trip?" she asked, confusing Jinx and Kid Flash.

"I guess so", a voice answered cheerfully. It was then that Jinx realized Bumblebee had been addressing the person on the screen. She looked up to see a slender girl in a multi-colored blouse and a matching skirt with purple and orange streaks in her white hair.

"Um, hi?" said Jinx.

Kid Flash dashed to the spot in front of the screen. "Hiya."

"Hi."

"Trip, this is Jinx and Kid Flash; Jinx, Kid Flash, this is Triplicate Girl of the Legion of Superheroes", Bumblebee introduced.

"Nice to meet you in person, Triplicate Girl said. "Have you heard anything from Saturn Girl and the others?" she asked Bumblebee.

"Latest update from Robin says the tracker – a friend of the Guardians – they sent out to trail Ruby brought home someone who said she could help us locate Ruby", Speedy answered. "They're currently building a machine that will enhance – what's her name?" he asked his teammates.

"Iris", Aqualad supplied.

"- Iris' powers to a global coverage", continued Speedy. "Robin said Cyborg estimates to have the thing done within ten days."

"Interesting", Triplicate Girl remarked. "Where did this Iris character come from?"

Aqualad shrugged. "Search me. All I know is none of the Legionnaires trust her implicitly, and I know Robin doesn't either."

"Have they had Saturn Girl do a mind probe on Iris?" Triplicate Girl asked.

"Don't think so", Speedy replied.

_"Pienso que esta persona de Iris está hasta no bueno", _declared Mas.

_"Tenemos ni dados ella una oportunidad", _argued Menos. _"Para todo usted sabe que ella podría ser bastante confiable."_

"Both of you have a valid point", Bumblebee interjected hurriedly before the disagreement escalated into a full-blown argument. The twins didn't often quarrel, but when they did, it was best to keep furniture out of the way. "But Ruby could be anywhere on this planet. We need what help we can get – even a dubious one."

"You can understand them?" Triplicate Girl inquired.

"When you live with them for some time, you pick up some words." Bumblebee shrugged.

"Anyway, I have to talk to you about…" Triplicate Girl jerked her head to the side. "Future stuff."

"Oh." Bumblebee turned to Jinx and Kid Flash. "Do you mind?"

"Sorry", said Jinx as she backed out. She wished she could stay – it was probably her future they were going to talk about anyway – but Bumblebee had explained to her how disastrous it could be if she knew too many details about what was going to happen. Kid Flash followed suit.

When the duo were gone, Triplicate Girl launched into a reluctant retelling of what Invisible Kid had discovered in the history books. She also added an account of Shrinking Violet's hypotheses and theories concerning the events.

_"Cuán horrible!" _Menos exclaimed in horror.

_"Cómo puede ser esto?" _Mas added in great consternation.

"So are you saying", Aqualad managed with some difficulty after a period of silence, "that Jinx is going to kill us?"

"Not you", Triplicate Girl clarified. "Titans East survived. But Robin, Starfire, Raven, Cyborg, and Beast Boy all died – and so did whoever was with them."

"It doesn't say in your history books?" Speedy asked.

"No", replied Triplicate Girl, "because the history is being written as we speak. When you mess with the timeline, things get complicated, and if you go too far, you might just destroy history itself, and it'd have to rewrite itself all over again. You can imagine the huge changes that could occur if that happens."

"So…" Aqualad began, trying to make sense of the whole thing. "So, if…if Jinx really does go bad, and if we can't prevent it, she's going to kill Robin and his team?"

"And probably Saturn Girl and the other Legionnaires", Triplicate Girl confirmed solemnly. "Since they're from the 31st century, and that event hasn't occurred in the 21st century yet, it stands to reason that they're the ones who were with Robin and the Titans when it happened. There was nothing about the Guardians, though, so it's a safe bet W.I.T.C.H. wasn't involved in that situation."

"How can we stop this from happening?" asked Bumblebee.

"The key point in all of this is Jinx's conversion to evil", answered Triplicate Girl. "If we can prevent that, we could prevent everything else. But in order to do that, we have to prevent certain key events which lead up to it. Invisible Kid's working his way through the history books and criminal journals and profiles, and Violet's coming up with theory after theory. Hopefully we'll have more soon. Keep an eye on Jinx and let Saturn Girl know about this."

"What about Robin, Starfire, Raven, Cyborg, and Beast Boy?" Aqualad asked.

"On no account can you tell them about this", Triplicate Girl said firmly. "They're from the past, and this concerns them. They can't know this. Saturn Girl, Lightning Lad, Brainiac 5, Timber Wolf, and Phantom Girl are all from the this time, so their knowing won't harm the time stream."

"Oi, I hate dealing with tricky time things", said Speedy, rubbing his forehead in mock exhaustion.

Triplicate Girl smiled faintly. "Unfortunately, most villains from this time period love changing history, because they know a changed timeline is hard to predict and therefore hard to prevent. We've had to counter that by becoming extra knowledgeable about the nature of the time-space continuum. But even all that knowledge didn't prepare us for Ruby. The main thing we know now is that we have to thwart Ruby at all costs, or the future is doomed."

* * *

Will, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia, and Hay Lin appeared outside Titans Tower directly after school. When they were admitted inside by Starfire, they instantly heard the loud argument, though it was several rooms away, between Cyborg, Lightning Lad, and Iris.

"It is absolutely impossible to fit that tube into that slot!" Cyborg was declaring in exasperation. "The tube is so big and the slot is so small, it'd be easier to fit a metal rod into a nut!"

"The only nut here, Cyborg, is you", said the smooth voice of Iris. "I've had experience fitting large tubes into small openings, and I say it can be done."

"NO IT CAN NOT!" Cyborg bellowed.

"Cy, Iris is right", Lightning Lad tried to explain. He had lately taken to calling Cyborg by the nickname Beast Boy had given him. "There's a certain technique that allows –"

"Whose side are you on?" Cyborg asked sarcastically. "Look!"

By this time Starfire had led the Guardians up onto the roof, where Cyborg, Brainiac 5, Lightning Lad, and Iris had begun constructing the machine. Cyborg did not notice them, however, as he was attempting to prove to both Iris and Lightning Lad that a particular hollow, metal tube could not fit into a certain opening.

"See?" Cyborg said, pushing the tube against the opening to no avail. "It won't go in. _Now _do you believe me?"

"Cyborg, you have to twist it in, like this." Lightning Lad demonstrated his point, and the tube slid in with a click.

Cyborg stared at the tube which was now fitted perfectly into the slot. "Traitor", he muttered. But everyone could tell his good humor was returning, and they were proved right when he said a moment later, "Fine. So I was wrong. So help me – I'm from the 21st century, but you…" He rounded on Iris. "How'd you know this stuff?" he asked, half-suspicious and half-admiring.

"I've done a lot of research", Iris said with a wave of her hand. "And I hypothesize a lot."

"Can we get back to building this machine now?" Brainy asked pointedly from his position leaning against the inactivated power generator, where he'd been witnessing the quarrel.

"What! No 'Hi, Irma, it's awesome to see you here, we could really use your help'?" Irma inquired teasingly.

"Well, the 'Hi, Irma' part I can do", said Lightning Lad with a grin.

"Where's everybody else?" asked Cornelia, looking around the roof of the tower.

"Raven and Beast Boy are still looking for the remaining pieces we'll need to make this work, Robin's out on a mission he won't tell anyone except Kell-el about, Kell-el himself is in his guest room, and Saturn Girl, Timber Wolf, and Phantom Girl are all on patrol", Lightning Lad replied.

"Anything we can do to help?" inquired Will.

Cyborg grunted, his head behind a panel in the metal block that would become the body of the machine. "Yeah, I could use Irma, Taranee, and Cornelia."

"Please tell me he didn't just say name", sighed Cornelia.

Cyborg withdrew his head and sent her a half-hearted glare. "Yes I did, princess, and you're going to help me. For starters, use that telekinesis of yours to hold this wire in place while I solder it onto the casing." He pointed to a burnished copper wire.

Cornelia sighed again and did as she was told.

* * *

"Why are we here?"

It was twilight, and darkness was beginning to fall, especially just outside Jump City Jail.

Ruby looked highly annoyed at the question. "We are here", she began in a lofty tone of voice, "to recruit more villains to our cause. The Titans have put more people in here than the police. I'm sure some of them hold a grudge. We can use that to bring them in – if the prospect of a world where villains rule does not."

"Having a grudge against the Titans is not the only necessary qualification", Madame Rouge stated. "We must be sure that these villains are trustworthy enough that they will not betray us, and that they have skills we can use."

"Oh, the list I have in mind has taken all of that into account", Ruby said with a wicked gleam in her eye. "Don't forget, Madame Rouge, in the 31st century, I have valuable access to history books which delve deeply into the exploits of villains from the past. I have done my research, and I know who I want to recruit."

"Very well", Rouge conceded. "And who do you intend to break out first?"

"Someone who was not originally on my list", answered Ruby. "I am flexible, Madame Rouge, and when I saw him in action, I altered my plans to fit him in. The mark of a good villain is one who knows when to change – as indeed one must do frequently as circumstances develop."

"I shall make a note of that", Madame Rouge said dryly. "Who is this person?"

"His name", Ruby replied, "is Control Freak."

* * *

**_A/N: And here is our halfway point. This story has 20 chapters in total, so we're halfway through. By the way, since some of you were wondering, Saturn Girl has lost her telepathy and any other powers associated with it. That means she can't read minds, erase memories, create illusions, or anything else which involves her mind and somebody else's. But she is still telekinetic (which, by the way, was one of her powers to begin with - check Wikipedia and the Season 2 episode _**_Man From The Edge of Tomorrow Part 2**), and of course, she can still cast force fields. Just thought I'd clear that up. And as usual, thank you so much to my loyal reviewers **The Violet Rose, leath, lovegarth-1105, Devilbunny __**(who was understandably indignant about how Ivy used Blunk)**__, TheEclipse, **and **DangerZone._

**Disclaimer: Concerning this story and the other two related to it, I own nothing except the plot(s), Ruby, any pieces of futuristic technology which are not mentioned in canon, and any other figments of my imagination.**


	11. Preparation

**Chapter 11**

Robin landed his T-ship pod and parked it on stealth mode behind a pile of boulders. As the sun began to rise, lighting up the dark sky with streaks of red and gold, he waited patiently, leaning against the rocks until a figure appeared in his sight, at which point he straightened up and watched as it approached him.

"Robin?"

"Hi, Hotspot. I'm calling in a favor."

* * *

The computer beeped, opening up a window on its monitor. Batgirl swiveled her chair to see it.

"Uh-oh", she said. "Batman, we've got a problem."

As the Dark Knight made his way over to her, she explained, "There's been a breach in the security system of the Joker's cell. I'm trying to lock it down from here, but it doesn't seem to be working. If he's loose again…"

Batman was gone before she could finish.

"Oh, sure, leave me here to do the computer work", she muttered under her breath as she continued typing.

* * *

It didn't take long for Batman to reach Gotham Prison. The Joker had indeed broken out of prison, and it was evident in the hysterical laughter of the guards, which immediately alerted Batman to the fact that Joker must have an accomplice who slipped him the laughing gas. But maybe there was a chance he could prevent Joker from getting out of the prison compound. As he broke into a run, he hoped he could apprehend Joker and put him back in a secure cell. With Ruby on the loose, a rogue villain, especially one as dangerous as the Joker, with ill-timing could prove disastrous.

And the Joker _had _ill-timing.

Batman caught up with Joker at the gates of Gotham Prison. He was alone, which Batman hadn't expected, but he didn't let that throw him off guard. Joker was unaware that his greatest foe was behind him, as he didn't expect even the Batman to get there so fast. What the Joker didn't know, however, was that Batman's little trip to the future had given him enough technical knowledge to alter and build several instruments and devices that weren't available to the general public – such as a water-powered accelerator in the Batmobile and a short distance teleporter in his utility belt.

With the Joker oblivious until the last second, Batman took him out easily with a well-timed throw of his Bat-a-rang and lugged him back to jail. Even as he did so, however, one question kept bothering him, lingering in his intelligent mind.

Who had given the Joker the laughing gas that allowed him to escape?

* * *

"Whoa, hold on. Let me get this straight – you want me to trail Madame Rouge?" Hotspot looked incredulous. "Are you nuts?"

"As long as you make sure to power up around anyone suspicious, you'll be fine." Robin looked down at the crude diagram he'd etched into the gravel with a stick when he'd explained Ruby's presence to Hotspot (leaving out the part where she came from the 31st century).

"Hold on", Hotspot said suddenly. "How do I know _you're _not Madame Rouge?"

"Power up and see", Robin told him.

Hotspot powered up and kept his flames dancing about him for several minutes, but Robin relaxed comfortably on an upright boulder without showing the slightest sign of discomfort. Hotspot powered down.

"Okay, I believe you", he said. "But why are you asking me to do this?"

"Because you're probably the only one who can determine who Madame Rouge is when she's in disguise", Robin replied. "Plus, we're all up to our necks in tracking down Ruby and keeping Jinx safe."

"I don't suppose you're going to tell me _why _she wants Jinx?" Hotspot asked shrewdly.

"Sorry." Robin smiled wryly. "It's complicated, and it really would be best if you didn't know."

Hotspot sighed. "Okay, then. I'll track down Madame Rouge. Good luck on finding this Ruby person."

"Thanks for your help. And truth be told, I'm hoping Rouge will be hanging about with Ruby, so that if you find Madame Rouge, we find Ruby."

"I'll try my hardest then." Hotspot turned to go. "And you're welcome", he called back over his shoulder.

Robin wasted no more time in returning to his pod and taking off for Titans Tower.

* * *

"That's it! That's perfect!" Cyborg exclaimed as Taranee melted the edges of the metal sheet that was held in place by Cornelia's telekinesis in the middle of a metal panel.

"Well, finally, some compliments from you", said Cornelia as Irma cooled the metal until it was solid again. "I was beginning to think you were all orders and no praise."

"Sorry", said Cyborg, though he didn't look very apologetic. "I get like that when I'm building something."

"Good to know", Iris said sarcastically from her perch by the edge of the roof, her legs crossed. "I thought you were this crabby all the time."

"I don't see you helping out", Cyborg retorted.

"My dear Cyborg", Iris said patiently, as if she were speaking to a child, "I know the theory of building machines such as this, but I have not had any hands-on practice. You wouldn't want my inexperienced hands to ruin this when you need it so desperately to find Ruby, would you?"

Cyborg grunted but didn't respond. At length he voiced, "You know you're sitting really close to the edge of the roof, don't you?"

"If you're worried that I might fall off…" began Iris with an arched eyebrow.

"I'm not", Cyborg said quickly.

"Don't be. I can take care of myself and I assure you, I will not be hurt even if I happen to lose my balance and topple – of which the chances are very low."

"Hmph."

Cyborg continued working, filling the metal pocket with a sulfuric iron oxide solution and inserting a pliable brass wire surrounded with an insulating rubber sheath into the chemical liquid. Taranee then sealed the last edge and Irma doused it, cooling the heated metal and letting it harden against the rubber-sheathed wire. Then they repeated the procedure on the other side of the metal block.

As the sky began to darken, Cyborg called the work to a halt and mopped his sweaty forehead. "All right, that's it for today. No sense working in the dark."

"Are you going to need us to come tomorrow too?" Taranee asked.

"I'm not sure, but if I do, I'll give you a call", Cyborg replied with a grin.

Just then there was a loud splashing noise from below. Iris, being at the edge, saw what had caused it before anyone else.

"Oh look, Robin's back", she said lightly.

"Well, finally!" exclaimed Cyborg as he watched the T-ship pod sink into the underwater hangar. "I have some questions and he's going to answer them, whether he likes it or not."

* * *

"No."

The monosyllabic word was said simply, firmly, childishly, whiningly. Ruby tapped her foot impatiently.

"Why ever not?"

"Because", Control Freak replied, "why would I want to live in a world without heroes? That's no fun. I _like _the Titans – in the sense that I can keep challenging them, annoying them, evading their capture, and I can continue to manipulate them in my own alternate reality world of television!" He laughed gleefully.

"Yes, that all seems to have worked rather well so far, hasn't it?" Ruby said dryly. "How many times have you gone up against them and how many times have you ended up in the same jail cell for your trouble?"

Control Freak shrugged. "I lost count."

"You kind of missed the point."

"No, you're missing the point", argued Control Freak as he stood up, drawing himself to his full height – which wasn't much. "I enjoy our game."

"What game?" Ruby asked, trying to be patient. Madame Rouge was waiting outside with a rented car in case something went wrong and Ruby's ruse was discovered, but she wouldn't wait for much longer. Ruby had been in here almost ten minutes already – and this childish, third-rate villain was still nowhere near agreement.

"The game I and the Titans play", Control Freak said in response. "The cat and cat game."

"You mean the cat and mouse game."

"No, I mean the cat and cat game." Here Control Freak began to dramatize in a ridiculous way, creeping around the table in the visiting room and gesticulating with both arms and legs as he explained. "We chase each other around in a series of battles, challenging each other and seeing who comes out the victor – just like a video game. We have different rounds where we fight, different locations, different circumstances, and different elements. Sometimes I win, and sometimes they win. I have fun trying to defeat them. When it's my turn to string them along, I enjoy watching the Titans struggle through my obstacles. It's like reality TV!" He grinned.

"Ai", sighed Ruby. No wonder Control Freak spent more time in jail than out. He saw villainy as some sort of game? What a heinous thought!

"Listen, Control Freak", Ruby said, all traces of patience gone. "If you help me, we can create a world where villains rule, and you don't have to lose at all. There will still be some heroes around who will foolishly think they can contend against us, and you can play your game with them. The only difference is that when you do, you won't have to lose. You'll win every time – but only if you help me." There! If that didn't do it, nothing would.

Control Freak seemed to be thinking hard. "I'd win every time?"

"Every time", Ruby affirmed.

"And they'd lose?"

"Oh, yes."

"Will there still be Titans for me to play with?"

"I'm quite certain a few of them will be left."

"All right", Control Freak agreed. "I'm in. Now get me out of here!"

"Ssh!" Ruby hushed him. "There are cameras…"

"Oh. Right."

"Now, listen closely. Here's what I want you to do…"

* * *

When Robin finished explaining his 'secret mission', the conversation turned to Iris, who, along with the Guardians, had gone home for the night – wherever her home was.

"So what do you think?" Lightning Lad asked. "Can she be trusted?"

"I don't know", Cyborg said. If she can't, she's awfully good at acting. But I still think there's something off about her."

"You and me both." Beast Boy lifted his feet to the couch. "I mean, anybody with that skin tone who dyes their hair black must be completely color blind."

"She dyed her hair for a reason, and it may not be one we'd like to hear", said Raven. "What if it's a disguise?"

"We're always going to be having this conversation if we don't learn to trust Iris", Robin pointed out reasonably.

"But everyone has some doubts about her", Lightning Lad stated. "How can we trust her if we aren't sure of her?"

"I say we trust her concerning her machine, but keep our eyes and ears open concerning everything else", declared Cyborg.

"I too have doubts about Iris", Starfire admitted. "And though I wish I could trust her as I do my friends, I must agree with Cyborg."

"So do I", put in Kell-el.

"That does seem to be the best option", Robin agreed. He checked his watch. "It's seven forty", he noted with a hint of concern in his voice. "Shouldn't Saturn Girl, Phantom Girl, and Timber Wolf be back by now?"

"Maybe they ran into traffic", Beast Boy joked. Raven glared at him. "Sheesh, okay, okay. I was just trying to lighten things up."

"They should", Lightning Lad agreed, looking worried.

"Those three aren't the only ones missing", Cyborg grumbled. "Where's Brainy? I haven't seen him since we went up on the roof. Don't tell me he's still programming that satellite power grid for the machine."

Kell-el nodded in confirmation. "He is. He said that he would have completed it by tomorrow and would have more time to help you with the machine."

"I hope he's planning to sleep", said Lightning Lad. "He seems to forget that he's human now, and he needs his rest."

"Tell me that story, please", Starfire requested politely. "I have long wondered how he can have become human when you stated that he was once a robot."

"It's a long story to tell by myself", Lightning Lad replied. "But if you insist…"

And he launched into a retelling of the Brainiac 1.0 incident. While the Titans listened intently, Starfire was the most drawn in. She oohed and ahhed with breathless anticipation in all the right places. Lightning Lad found that quite gratifying.

By the time he finished the tale, it was already eight thirty, and the sky had darkened completely, largely thanks to the thunderstorm raging outside. Brainy joined them at eight thirty-five, holding a soft drink in his hand and joining in the conversation, but by eight forty-five there was still no sign of Saturn Girl, Timber Wolf, or Phantom Girl. The Titans, Lightning Lad, Kell-el, and Brainy were very worried by now.

"They should have been back an hour and a half ago", Lightning Lad said, biting his lip. He hated it when people went missing – especially Saturn Girl. And it was raining cats and dogs.

"You don't think something could have happened, do you?" Beast Boy asked worriedly.

"I don't know", Brainy admitted. He was worried too – and he hated not having the answers. He was a twelfth-level intellect, for heaven's sake!

"There must be something wrong", Starfire said. "Surely they would have called if they were going to be late?"

No one answered her. They were all too busy trying not to think about the worst possible scenario, but the thought made it through anyway.

Had Ruby caught up to them?

* * *

_**A/N: Evil cliffie, much? Don't worry, next chapter out tomorrow! I tell you, I love updating daily as much as you love getting a new chapter everyday. Maybe it's because updating everyday means I get reviews everyday (shameful, I know, but I enjoy knowing people are enjoying my stories). Oh, and just to clarify, I will be using the names Iris and Ivy interchangeably when referring to Poison Ivy. She'll be Iris when she's acting like Iris, and Ivy when she's being herself. Hope you don't get too confused. Thank you, as usual, to **The Violet Rose, lovegarth-1105, TheEclipse, Devilbunny, DangerZone, **and **leath **for reviewing. Special thanks to **lovegarth-1105 **and **Devilbunny **for reviewing on every single chapter so far, and also to **The Violet Rose, **who, judging by her track record, would probably have also reviewed on every chapter if she hadn't found the story late.**_

**Disclaimer: However much I wish I did, I don't.**


	12. Some Things Come to Light

**Chapter 12**

"Batman, I think I've figured it out", Batgirl proclaimed with pride.

"Figured out what?" Batman questioned.

"How the Joker got out of prison. Come on." She gestured for him to come over to the computer. "I was reviewing the security videos of Joker's cell, and take a look at this. Someone slipped him something at 6 pm yesterday, and I bet it was the laughing gas. His jail guard's right outside the cell – once he was incapacitated by the laughing gas, it was easy for the Joker to grab the keys and make a run for it."

"But who exactly gave him the gas?" asked Batman.

"I think I've figured that out too." Batgirl opened up several windows. "Using the shadows from the sun at six pm yesterday, I calculated the height of Joker's visitor and typed in a search order in the most recent census of Gotham City for a five foot nine white male with dark hair, and I came up with several. But, by looking at the prison records, I found that only one of those men have ever visited Joker. Damian Jackson. I read his bio – turns out he's quite a fan of the Joker's work."

Batman stroked his chin thoughtfully. "So the Joker's escape was just a result of some fanatic who wanted his idol to continue his work?"

"Apparently so." Batgirl closed the windows. "I know you say it's best to keep on your toes, but it's my opinion that this was just a coincidence."

"And I think you're probably right", Batman told her. "It's a good thing we were able to prevent Joker from completing his escape. Can you imagine what might have happened if Ruby got wind of him?"

Batgirl shuddered. "No, and I don't want to."

* * *

It was nine ten before the three missing Legionnaires finally appeared, sopping wet and looking battered and worn.

"There you are!" Beast Boy exclaimed as Starfire went to get some towels. "Where have you been?"

Phantom Girl sank into a chair. "All over Jump City, by the looks of it."

"You're getting the chair all wet", Robin commented. "Here." He tossed her a towel from the stack Starfire had brought in.

"Don't be cryptic", Lightning Lad complained as he wrapped a towel around Saturn Girl's shivering body. "We were worried sick about you."

"We got blown away by the storm", Timber Wolf explained, rubbing his matted fur vigorously with his towel. "We were halfway home when the winds picked up and threw us back to the western side of the city."

"Yeah", added Phantom Girl as she dried her hair. "Ever been six hundred feet up in the air in the middle of a thunderstorm? It's not pleasant. It was like the winds had a mind of their own and were determined not to let us get back. We kept getting blown from one end of the city to the other, and it rained on top of that."

"Why didn't you just land?" asked Kell-el.

"Are you kidding?" exclaimed Phantom Girl. "We couldn't even go in a straight line – traveling vertically while being buffeted by winds at speeds of 20mph could have gotten us killed. Not to mention it was dark and we could hardly see for all the rain that was pelting. It was coming down in sheets. We could have crashed into a building trying to come down. Also, we ran smack into this huge, gooey, shape-shifting monster. "

"Plasmus", Robin confirmed, nodding.

"So how'd you find Titans Tower in the storm?" Cyborg inquired.

"Nobody could miss that big a T." Phantom Girl finished drying herself and hopped up. "I'm going to take a nice, long, warm bath. I haven't felt this cold in years." And so saying, she got up and exited the room, taking the towel with her.

* * *

Later, when Saturn Girl, Timber Wolf, and Phantom Girl had cleaned up and gotten dry, the heroes all helped themselves to a late dinner of the foodstuffs in the Titans' refrigerator. And while most of them talked about nonsensical things and traded stories, Saturn Girl remained distant, refraining from joining in the conversation and picking at her plate of cold chicken. Lightning Lad, of course, noticed this and made up his mind to get her to tell him what was going on. After dinner, he cornered her as she was entering the guest room where she slept.

"Imra, what's wrong?" he asked. "After we talked on the roof, you seemed to be feeling better, but now you've slipped back into your shell. Why?"

Saturn Girl looked around. When she was certain no one was looking, she pulled Lightning Lad into the room and locked the door.

"Okay", began Lightning Lad. "That was unexpected."

Saturn Girl, meanwhile, had sat down on the bed, and she motioned for him to do the same. When he was seated, she said, "Listen, Garth. I've been thinking about this a while, and…I think…I think I've lost my telepathy."

Lightning Lad sat silently, stunned. "What do you mean?" he demanded. "How can you have lost it? It's a part of you."

"My telepathic ability is the result of a special genetic code within the communication center of my brain", explained Saturn Girl. "If the chromosomes are rearranged, it could remove the ability completely. I think that is what happened." She looked miserable, and Lightning Lad felt for her. To lose an ability that had been part of her since she was born…But his brain was wrapping around the idea and coming up with the only reasonable conclusion there was.

"You mean…when Ruby broke into the Tower and zapped you with that mind ray…" he said slowly.

"Yes", Saturn Girl replied softly.

"How'd you find out?" he asked, gently and cautiously.

"Little things. I've been able to block out stray thoughts from people's minds so long I didn't notice when no thoughts were filtering through. I first got an inkling at the pizza parlor. In a place that crowded, I should have heard some thoughts even if I was blocking. But there was nothing. And when I tried to read Iris' mind to see if she was trustworthy, it came up blank. I thought maybe she was psychically shielded, but then I tried sending a telepathic message to Raven, to tell her that suspicion, but she didn't reply. I tried sending you a message too, but you obviously didn't hear me. The final confirmation came when we were out in the storm. We could barely hear each other, and Phantom Girl yelled at me to read her mind. I tried, Garth, I really did, but I couldn't. I just couldn't. And that was when I knew." She buried her face in his chest.

Lightning Lad held her close and patted her back, wondering what to say. It was extremely rare to lose a power that was natural to a person. The Legion had never encountered such a case within its ranks before. Yet Ruby had made it happen.

"What about your other powers?" he asked finally. "Your force fields, your telekinesis?"

"I still have them." Saturn Girl sat up. "But anything telepathic is gone. And even if we catch Ruby, I'm not sure we can get it back." She sounded dejected and resigned.

"See here", said Lightning Lad firmly. "I know we can get it back. We've got a twelfth-level intellect on our side. I'm sure Brainy'll figure out how to reverse the mind ray, and Raven can make sure he's got the right arrangement. We can do it."

Saturn Girl gazed at him for a moment before breaking into a smile. "Okay."

* * *

"No! No, no, and no!" Irma yelled. They were four days into the construction of Iris' machine, and tempers were running short. "I am not specially providing cool water at _just _a temperature when there is a whole sea all around us and a wide range of cooling devices available just below us, and there is nothing you can do that will make me do it. It's a waste of energy." She crossed her arms.

Cyborg glared at her, monkey wrench in hand. "You'll do it, sprite, because none of the cooling devices we have are programmed to cool so specifically as to be accurate to a tenth of a degree."

"_Sprite?_" exclaimed Irma. "I am not a sprite just because I control water. And why do we need such an accurate temperature, anyway?" she demanded.

"We need it because if it isn't accurate, it could ruin the entire process", Iris told her loftily.

Irma snorted and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like a curse. "Says you. You could be needing it to do something else we don't know about and have us do your dirty work. Who knows if we can actually trust you? If Saturn Girl can't read your mind and certify you trustworthy, I'm not buying your innocent I'm-a-good-guy act." Everyone had been duly informed of the fact that Saturn Girl was no longer telepathic.

Ivy glowered at the seething Water Guardian. She wasn't far from the truth. The cooling thermostat device they were constructing could make use of water at any temperature within 10 to 30 degrees Celsius, but only she knew that. What really needed such an accurate temperature reading was the time limbo bubble caster technology she was constructing in preparation for when they found Ruby – the instrument of her ultimate revenge. She was getting some of the more difficult pieces of equipment from the Titans and W.I.T.C.H. by cunningly concealing them within requests for equipment for the locator machine. Saturn Girl having no telepathy was a stroke of luck, but her whole plan could still fall apart if they continued to doubt her intentions.

"Haven't we been through this already like, a hundred times?" sighed Cornelia in exasperation.

"Listen, Irma", said Cyborg, trying to keep the temper usually reserved for Beast Boy in check, "I don't know if Iris can be trusted completely or not either, but if she says we need that temperature of water, then we need that temperature of water. I've seen enough these last few days to know she knows what she's talking about, and though I don't trust her, I also don't want to take any chances with this machine if it can find Ruby for us. So just provide us the damn water, all right?"

_Thank you, Cyborg, _Ivy thought smugly, hiding a triumphant smile.

Grumbling, Irma did as she was told, filling the plastic container with freshwater at the appropriate temperature, and work continued.

* * *

The next week went by quickly for both Ruby and the coalition of heroes who were working to find her. Jinx and Kid Flash remained in Titans East, becoming an integrated part of the team during the time they spent there, and continually wondering what news was coming from the future whenever Bumblebee pushed them out when Triplicate Girl contacted them for another time-coded conference.

W.I.T.C.H. continued to live their lives as normal, spending much of their time at Titans Tower whenever they could (with the exception of Caleb and Matt, who remained in Heatherfield at Will's urging to cover for them in case something happened). While Irma, Taranee, and Cornelia continued to help Cyborg, Brainy (who had completed the satellite power grid program), and Iris build the locator machine, Will and Hay Lin indulged in daily conferences with the other Titans and Legionnaires as they slowly came up with a plan of action that would be initiated after they found Ruby. Brainy was also working on a way to reverse the effects of Ruby's mind ray on Saturn Girl's telepathy – the loss of which had become a major obstacle. Robin and Kell-el kept in touch with Hotspot, who reported that Madame Rouge seemed to be wandering alone in southern Paris, doing nothing.

Ruby, by the end of the week, had finished recruiting the villains she needed. Her side now consisted of herself, Madame Rouge, Control Freak, the current members of the Hive Five - Gizmo, Mammoth, See-More, Kid Wykkyd, Private H.I.V.E., and Billy Numerous – Cinderblock, Plasmus, Overload, and Mumbo. Usually, a collection this large of various villains as notorious as these would result in trouble and arguments and a break-up of the group within two weeks, but Ruby proved to be as adept a leader as Brainiac 1.0, who had successfully led an alliance of the Fatal Five and the Legion of Supervillains one thousand years into the future (**see my story, _One Year Before_**), and she was even better at assigning them duties that would keep them from targeting each other's throats that still allowed her plan to be carried out, and she was the best at being careful to allow no one to challenge her authority. She had specially selected each and every member of her so-called "team" for their talents and abilities, but also for their laid-back personalities or their relatively low intellect that enabled her to control them. About the only one who could possibly defy her and get away with it was Madame Rouge, and Ruby had made certain that she and the shape-shifting French woman were on good terms.

Iris, or rather, Ivy, was cunningly carrying out her background scheme to revenge herself on Ruby, and then Batgirl. She was, after all, one vindictive young woman. By the time the locator machine was completed and hooked up to Brainy's satellite power grid by the end of the week, Ivy had also finished work on her time limbo bubble device, and she was ready to locate Ruby for the allied heroes for her own purposes. They were set to operate the locator machine the following day, and Ivy was looking forward to it.

"Ruby, you'd better watch out."

* * *

**_A/N: Oh, indeed she should. With so many people out to get her, Ruby'd better keep an eye on her back. Anyways, today I was reminded by a faithful reader of mine that I have not yet given her credit for her idea in my story. Three cheers for _**_Mirror's Mirage, **who suggested that I put Madame Rouge in the story. Thank you for your idea, and sorry for not remembering to credit you in the right chapter. I hope you're not too mad. Today, thanks for reviewing goes out to **Mirror's Mirage, The Violet Rose, TheEclipse, Devilbunny, DangerZone, leath, and lovegarth-1105. **Thank you all for your input and I hope you continue enjoying the story (and reviewing, of course)!**_

_**P.S. I am thinking of making a video trailer of my entire **A Hero Prophecy **series and posting it up on YouTube, only I have no idea how to do it. Any help you could provide would be appreciated. Wouldn't it be great if there could be some video presentation of this/these fic(s)?**  
_

**Disclaimer: I own most of what is in this story, with the exception of ideas which were suggested by my readers, canon 31st century equipment, and - oh, of course - the Legionnaires, the Titans, the Guardians, Batman, Batgirl, and all villains besides Ruby.**


	13. Hive Five, Go!

**Chapter 13**

"Are you getting anything?" Phantom Girl queried. They had chosen dusk for the operation, reasoning that then would be less likely for civilians to see what they were doing.

Ivy, her eyes closed and her expression contemplative, shushed her and waved a hand. Two electrodes were attached to her temples, and these in turn were connected to specially treated wire cables that surged with electric power from the generator, through which Lightning Lad was channeling his lightning charge. The cables were arranged such that their entire length, save for two short stretches each where they were connected to the generator and to Ivy, was resting in two narrow plastic tubs of a chemical electrode solution of zinc, sulfur, and iron oxide. The generator, which could be called the main body of this bizarre machine – the likes of which had never been seen before – was also hooked via an ordinary computer wire in its rubber sheath to the futuristic data pad/holograph projector (Brainy had the foresight to bring at least one with him) that contained Brainy's satellite power grid program and that was projecting a map of said grid.

A thousand images rushed past Ivy's mind, and she shivered slightly. She had never encountered such a euphoric feeling before, receiving communication signals from hundreds of thousands of plants. Her plant communication center in her brain, powered by the electricity, efficiently filtered all the messages, searching for the image of the red-clothed woman she held firmly in her mind. After several minutes, she finally found what she was looking for.

"Bingo", she said as the holographic map beeped and presented a blinking red dot in the eastern vicinity of North America. As Ivy removed the electrodes from her head with help from Raven, the map automatically zoomed in on the area and enlarged the details. Brainy examined it carefully.

"She's back in Jump City", he said in surprise.

"That's not good", Timber Wolf remarked. "Where in Jump City?"

"Oh, no, wait, she's just disappeared." Brainy sounded puzzled. "Has she dropped back into the time stream? Wait, there she is." The red dot reappeared across North America, along the east coast, the satellite map having been designed to keep track of their quarry wherever it went once it had been located once.

Robin studied the map. "What's she doing in New Jersey?"

"That depends", Saturn Girl replied. "Does Jinx have any reason to be there?"

"Not that I know of", Robin replied. "We don't even have any honorary Titans in that area, except perhaps in passing."

"That is not true. Argent lives in New Jersey", Starfire pointed out.

"Hey, that's right", Cyborg realized.

"So what would Ruby want with Argent?" Raven asked thoughtfully.

"Maybe nothing", said Taranee. "Look, she's gone further down. Into…"

"Steel City!" Beast Boy gasped.

"Wait a minute, she's disappearing again", Lightning Lad said. "She's back in Jump."

"Speaking of which, is she jumping around anymore?" Irma inquired.

"No", Cyborg answered. "She's staying put."

"Then this is our chance to grab her", said Phantom Girl.

"We'll have to be careful", Saturn Girl warned as they flew off from the roof. "Ruby dropped out of sight of all of us for at least two weeks. Who knows what she could have accomplished within that time? And I doubt she was teleporting back and forth for no reason at all. Something's up."

"Aren't you forgetting someone?" Ivy called from the roof.

Beast Boy the pterodactyl, carrying Cyborg by his shoulders, inadvertently morphed back into his human form to speak. "No, I don't think soooooo!" he exclaimed, dragging out the _so _as he and Cyborg fell.

"Yo!" Cybrog cried.

"Honestly", said Raven as she caught them both on a platform of dark energy. "Is there any sort of trouble you _can't _get into, Beast Boy?"

"I meant me", Ivy said as the Legionnaires and Guardians, Robin and Starfire flew further away.

"You're a civilian", Raven told her, already speeding away with her two passengers.

"I can fight", Ivy insisted.

"No." And with that, the empath faded from sight.

Ivy growled, stamped her foot, and cursed. "No one prevents me from getting my revenge", she vented furiously at the empty, darkening sky. "You hear me? _No one._"

* * *

Jinx was bored. She tried, she truly tried not to be bored, but it was difficult not to be. There had been no crime in Steel City the whole time she'd been there, and while the East Titans reveled in the break, Jinx was getting restless. She'd never stayed in any one place indefinitely before the way she was currently staying in the East Tower. She enjoyed being an honorary Titan, without any obligation to remain at a certain Tower or headquarters, being free to roam wherever she liked while keeping in touch with the other Titans and helping out when necessary. More often than not, Kid Flash accompanied her, and though he was here in the East Tower with her too, she wasn't used to being cooped up. Kid Flash liked to call her a "free bird", and he wasn't far from the truth.

Jinx sighed. Kid Flash was getting bored too, and was releasing the pent-up boredom by playing practical jokes on the East Titans. Speedy and Aqualad were getting especially fed up. It wouldn't be long before they decided to take him down a peg or two. If they could catch him.

On the other hand, Jinx dealt with her restlessness by resting in various places and forcing herself to think. She found that once she got herself immersed in a certain line of thought, the restlessness evaporated as she continued to think her way through. One of the most efficient topics was that of her part in the time stream. Jinx found herself constantly trying to figure out why this so-called Ruby wanted her. Who wanted a villain-turned-superhero girl from one thousand years in the past? But Jinx suspected Bumblebee and the rest of the East Titans, and indeed everyone else involved in this whole affair, knew the reason, and it bothered her not a little that they wouldn't tell her, integrity of the time-space continuum or no.

_Come on! Is it so bad they can't tell me? _The very thought of her future being one so dastardly it had such a significant effect on the timeline scared her considerably. Even when she had been a villain, she had had no desire to cause the destruction of the world as she knew it – she'd merely been interested in getting what she wanted and pushing anyone out of her way. She'd wanted to be taken seriously, become recognized – well, she was that now, and it felt infinitely nicer to be on the right side of the law, especially with friends – real, proper friends who still annoyed you no end, but whom you didn't have to watch to make sure they wouldn't double-cross you.

So she really wanted to know if she could possibly be losing all of this, so she could take steps to prevent that loss. She liked her life as it was, and she didn't want it to change.

_But perhaps they're not telling you for that very reason, so that you can't plan to prevent the future and thus create a complicated time paradox that could possibly unravel the timeline, _said the sensible voice in her head.

"Arghh!" Jinx said in frustration. She blew on her slender fingers thoughtfully. It all came back to the same question – why? And that question was one the Legionnaires were the most determined not to answer, it being the question that had the widest scope and which revealed the most.

_I have to get out of here. _Her usual way of ridding herself of restlessness wasn't working anymore. It was just frustrating her even more and it didn't take much to get her bored, after all. Surely Robin would allow just a short little trip?

Just then the alarm sounded and the plasma screen flashed to life amid the blinking red lights, showing the Hive Five, taking advantage of the cover of the night sky, looting a camera store. Jinx froze momentarily as she saw her old teammates as Kid Flash, Bumblebee, Speedy, Aqualad, and the twins tumbled into the room, heralded by the pattering of multiple footsteps and the mechanical sound of the metal doors sliding open. Predictably, Kid Flash was the first to reach Jinx.

"The Hive Five?" he questioned, looking inquiringly at his girlfriend.

"Unfortunately, yes", Jinx answered. "This is highly ironical."

"And also highly serious", said Bumblebee, pointing it out.

Speedy snorted. "There are six of them and seven of us. I don't think there's much they can do when they're outnumbered."

"Mas and Menos count as one", Bumblebee pointed out. "And I think Billy Numerous could count as about a hundred, don't you?"

"Oh", Speedy realized. "Oops."

"Oops is right", Jinx snapped. "The Hive Five don't usually band together for a simple robbery. But they're all at the same store. Something's going on."

"Then you'd better stay here", said Aqualad.

"No way", Kid Flash disagreed. "You add in Billy Numerous and _we're _the ones outnumbered. We can't afford to leave Jinx here alone. Besides, mightn't that be exactly what this Ruby person wants?"

"He's got a point", said Speedy. "What do we do?"

After consideration, Bumblebee replied, "We'll take her with us. At least she can help us and we can keep an eye on her."

"I'm right here, you know", Jinx said pointedly. "You don't have to talk about me as if I'm invisible."

"Sorry", Bumblebee apologized, already moving. "East Titans, move out!"

* * *

They encountered Private H.I.V.E. first, who had been standing watch while his teammates looted the store. He grinned as he saw them coming and recognized his old leader.

"Good evening, Jinx", he said casually.

"What are you doing back with the Five, Private?" Jinx asked as she alighted. "You left to join the Brotherhood of Evil."

"Well, I was the only one who was invited, wasn't I?" Private H.I.V.E. responded. "Anyway, the Brain crashed, didn't he? No point in hanging around when there is no Brotherhood left. And you're one to talk. Look at you. You left and now you're all goody-goody along with the Titans."

In reply, Jinx snapped her fingers, sending a pink wave of bad luck spiraling toward Private H.I.V.E. and causing him to fall flat on his back.

"I'm not so good", she informed him as he groaned.

"Uh-oh", said Speedy. "Multiple twins, one o' clock."

Six Billy Numerous duplicates had shouldered their way out of the store and were chuckling gleefully to each other.

"Hey, Billy, six against seven, that's hardly a fair fight, ain't it?" called one to another in Billy's southern rodeo accent.

"Why, no, Billy", replied the clone in mock horror. "I'd say it ain't."

"Then let's make it even", responded the first, splitting into two. "How 'bout…even to the point of odds? In our favor?" Laughing at his own joke, he continued multiplying, and the other clones followed suit.

Jinx snapped her fingers again, forcing a section of the road upward to unbalance the multiplying clones as Kid Flash and the joined Mas and Menos raced around the throng of red-suited Billys, causing a whirlwind to form. The clones were shocked into stopping their multiplication by Jinx's road mountain and were quickly rounded up by the mini tornado. When the three super-speeders finally stopped running, a substantial pile of dazed Billy Numerouses was the result.

"Crud!" came a familiar childish voice form inside the store. Through the window, Jinx could see the tiny, bald Gizmo pointing a stubby finger in their general direction. "They brought that dumb do-gooder Kid Flash. He's rounded up Billy Numerous."

The silent Kid Wykkyd suddenly appeared in front of the Titans, using his power of teleportation. He grabbed Jinx and held her tightly.

"Nobody move, or we do some damage on Jinx here", Gizmo proclaimed as he stepped out of the store, his four-spider-legged contraption strapped to his back and lifting him off the ground. With his right hand he pointed a laser blaster at his former leader.

"Good grief." Jinx rolled her eyes as she stepped hard on Kid Wykkyd's toes. She also elbowed him and sent a blast of bad luck Gizmo's way. The technological prodigy sidestepped the wave, but it crashed into Mammoth instead, who had been coming out. Beside the oversized villain, See-More extended his one eye and punched Aqualad with it in the face.

Bumblebee zapped the ridiculously enlarged eye with her electrically-charged sting, evicting a yell of pain from See-More, while Speedy fired a volley of explosive-tipped arrows at Gizmo. This time, the tiny genius had no opportunity to avoid them all. Four arrows hit their target, one on each mechanical leg, and each exploded on contact, bringing the contraption – and with it, the creator – down with them.

Titans East had defeated the Hive Five in as little time as it took for a string of commercials to play on the television. Private H.I.V.E. was still flat on his back, being forced to stay in that position by a restraining pressure from Aqualad's foot (who, incidentally, was also holding a hand to his throbbing nose). Billy Numerous had been returned to one and was being kept from multiplying by Kid Flash's, Mas', and Menos' tight holds on his body. Kid Wykkyd had been knocked unconscious by Bumblebee's sting before she'd gone after See-More and was lying prone on the ground. Gizmo was still seeing stars after he'd collided forcefully with the pavement, as was Mammoth, and See-More was still yelping blindly in pain, waiting for his eye to recover.

"Not so tough now, are you?" said Jinx as she pulled Gizmo up and held him suspended in the air.

"Lemme go!" cried Gizmo, punching and kicking with flailing limbs through empty air. "Lemme go!"

"Not until you tell me what you're doing here."

"What's it look like, pea brain? We're robbing a camera store."

"Riiight." Jinx was unconvinced. "Don't try to sidetrack me, Gizmo. I was your leader once, and I know the Hive Five don't all come together just to steal some cameras."

"I got nothin' to say to you, traitor", Gizmo declared, crossing his arms.

Jinx grinned. "Oh, really?" she asked, arching an eyebrow suggestively. Gizmo gulped as he saw her look. He knew that look. It was the expression Jinx got whenever she was about to do something her target would not like.

He was correct. Jinx tossed him into the air and grabbed him by his ankle, dangling him over the road with a dangerously precarious grip.

"How about now?" she queried innocently.

Gizmo covered his mouth with his hand to keep from throwing up. "Now", he said in a muffled voice, "I'm gonna barf if you don't put me down."

Jinx shook him violently, causing his face to turn a sickly shade of green.

"Crud!" he exclaimed around the hand stuffed into his mouth. "Okay, okay, I'll talk."

"Excellent." Jinx dropped him and his head collided with the ground.

"Ouch!" he said, sitting up and rubbing his head. "You know, if you want information, you shouldn't drop your informant on his head. He might just refuse to talk."

Jinx shrugged. "Makes no difference. You're going to talk anyway, unless you want another dose of vertigo."

Gizmo grumbled a curse under his breath before opening his mouth to tell. Before a single word could come out, however, he disappeared, along with the other members of the Hive Five.

Overhead, a maniacal chuckle came from the blue-skinned Mr. Mumbo, his arm waving his shiny black top hat over the area. It was emitting blue and yellow sparks.

"Disappearing trick, folks!" he called gleefully as he sailed over the East Titans. "And here's the encore."

He waved his hat once more, sending a shower of sparks Jinx's way. Before anyone (even Kid Flash) could react, the sparks gathered round her and she disappeared instantly, a look of surprise on her face. Then Mumbo himself vanished, leaving six bemused and concerned Titans in his wake.

* * *

**_A/N: Get ready for some action, folks, 'cause I have an order for plenty of it in the coming chapters. Man, I had fun thinking up Gizmo's lines. The way he speaks (and swears) just makes me laugh. There are no Batman or W.I.T.C.H. villains in Ruby's coalition because Batman's villains are way too unwieldy and dangerous (in direct violation of Ruby's criteria) and W.I.T.C.H. villains are all inaccessible (Phobos was eaten by Cedric, Cedric himself was defeated, Nerissa is trapped in a jewel at the bottom of a waterfall in Meridian, and Ari of Arkhanta, whom I introduced earlier on, turned good). And in case you guys missed the last notice, I'm trying to make a video trailer for this story (and its predecessors), but I need some info on how to do it. Any helpful advice or instructions?_**

**_Thanks to _**_Mirror's Mirage, The Violet Rose, lovegarth-1105, TheEclipse, Devilbunny, DangerZone, **and **leath **for reviewing!**_


	14. Battleplan

**Chapter 14**

"A letter for you, Master Bruce", Alfred said, walking into the Batcave. In his hand was a silver platter on which there was an envelope marked, _URGENT_.

Batman was about to ask why this particular letter had to be brought into the Batcave for his immediate attention when he saw the capitalized word and noticed that there was no postmark.

"Slipped under the door?" he asked as he slit the envelope open.

"No, Master Bruce, it was simply sitting on the doorstep", Alfred replied as he left.

Puzzled, Batman slid the round, white instrument from the envelope out. Recognizing it as a holopad from the 31st century, he quickly pressed the button to operate it. A holograph of Cosmic Boy appeared, warning Batman that Phosphorus was planning to escape and instructing him to destroy the holopad after he received the message in order to preserve the timeline. Batman threw the holopad and the envelope into the small incinerator in the Batcave and jumped into the Batmobile.

"Destination, Gotham Prison", said the mobile's mechanical voice after Batman punched in the coordinates.

* * *

Ruby darted around the rocky spikes Cornelia had pushed up, avoiding Robin's boomerangs and explosive disks, Starfire's starbolts, Cyborg's sonic cannon blasts, Raven's telekinetically thrown projectiles, Will's energy beams, Irma's water spurts, Taranee's fireballs, Hay Lin's gusts of wind, Lightning Lad's electricity, Saturn Girl's force fields, Timber Wolf's claws, and Kell-el's Kryptonite beams by means of a stunning sequence of acrobatics, gymnastics, and dodge moves.

"Hey!" cried Cyborg. "Why can't you ever hold still?"

"That would defeat the purpose of avoiding getting hit and caught by you", Ruby said coolly, ducking under yet another barrage of starbolts from a certain Tamaranian princess.

"I have so had it with you", Cornelia declared, pushing her arms out and opening her fists as she did so. A whole section of earth gave way, and Ruby looked like she was going to drop in, but she didn't. Instead she attracted her hover board to her and floated safely above the gaping hole, firing blasts of her own from her scepter.

"Fools", she said disdainfully as several of her beams found their mark, crashing into Phantom Girl, Taranee, Will, and Starfire. "Even all of you together cannot defeat me. I have grown stronger since we last met, and I have learned from my mistakes. You will not thwart me a second time."

"We'll see about that", said Saturn Girl. "Beast Boy, now!"

Beast Boy, who had been avoiding the heat of the battle, emerged as a charging, gigantic T-rex from behind Ruby. He swiped his large whip-like tail toward her hovering form, intending to buckle her legs under her, but she jumped up and landed safely on her hover board again, while Beast Boy, missing the impact he had expected, was thrown off-balance. He crashed to the ground in his T-rex form, raising a cloud of dust and gravel. When the dust had settled, Ruby was gone.

"Aw, man!" exclaimed Cyborg in annoyance. "Why does she have to do that every time?"

"Brainy, where's she headed?" Saturn Girl asked. Brainy checked his watch, to which he had linked his satellite tracking device.

"I don't know. She hasn't dropped back into the visible dimensional plane yet."

"Then how are we supposed to get her?" asked Hay Lin.

"Hard work and perseverance", replied Robin.

His communicator beeped and he answered it. Bumblebee's anxious face occupied it.

"Robin, Jinx is gone!"

"What?" demanded Lightning Lad, craning his neck to speak into the communicator. "How?"

"Some blue magician guy pulled a disappearing trick on us." Kid Flash's face peeked over Bumblebee's shoulder as he answered, and for once he wasn't curious about the Legionnaires (remember, he has never met the Legionnaires in the 21st century). "He magicked away the Hive Five and Jinx just a few minutes ago."

"That would be Mumbo", said Beast Boy.

"This is bad", sighed Saturn Girl wearily. "I'm willing to bet Mumbo's on Ruby's team."

"If that's true, that means Ruby now has the trump card", said Will worriedly.

"Maybe not", said Robin as a new call came in – this one from Hotspot. He selected the three-way calling system. "What do you have for me, Hotspot?"

"I think I've found that woman you're all after", Hotspot replied, unable to see the Legionnaires, as they had ducked out of the way. "Madame Rouge just met up with some alien-looking lady with red hair, red clothes and a golden scepter."

"That's her", Robin confirmed.

"Paris?" Kell-el looked questioningly at Brainy, who consulted his watch before nodding.

"Affirmative", he said. "Ruby is now just outside Paris."

"Dude! That lady's been teleporting like anything", exclaimed Beast Boy. "She's globe hopping."

"Where are you?" Robin asked.

"Just south of Paris, in a small clearing within the forest along the highway." Hotspot looked over his shoulder and his eyes widened. "Wait a minute, now there's a blue guy with them too."

"Does he have white hair, a magician's suit, and a top hat?" Raven queried.

"Yeah."

"Mumbo!" exclaimed Bumblebee, who had been listening in.

"Is Jinx with them?" Kid Flash asked anxiously.

"No, but the Hive Five are. Wait, there she is."

"Is she all right?"

"Ruby's zapped her into some sort of red bubble, but she seems fine. She's yelling at them."

"Definitely not good", Saturn Girl moaned.

"What are they saying?" Robin demanded urgently.

"They're taking Jinx to a place in London to 'perform the transformation'", said Hotspot, who was getting more and more confused.

"No!" cried Saturn Girl. "If that means what I think it means…"

"…then we have 24 hours at the most", Phantom Girl finished.

"Where in London?" Robin inquired.

"The southern section of the city – Ruby's saying something about Big Ben."

"Westminster Palace!" Taranee realized.

"Hotspot, stay out of their way", Robin commanded. "They're dangerous. We'll handle it from here. Thanks for the information." He disconnected Hotspot's line after the African acknowledged his orders, and then addressed Bumblebee.

"Bumblebee, meet us outside Westminster Palace. Bring Kid Flash. And hurry! We don't have much time."

"Hang on a minute!" exclaimed Cyborg. "We can't just go rushing in with no plan. Ruby'd beat us within minutes."

"I don't know if we can afford to wait", said Timber Wolf. "If Ruby succeeds in turning Jinx, there's nothing we can do to save the future."

"But she will definitely win if we just barge in there with no backup", Cyborg argued.

"Cyborg has a point", Beast Boy agreed.

"But we must rescue Jinx", Starfire said.

Saturn Girl mulled it over. "We'll have to risk waiting a few hours", she said finally. "Jinx can hold out for a while, but Cyborg's right. If we just rush to London with no clue what we're going to do, there's no way we can save her."

Robin told Titans East to go back to their Tower and wait for more news, and though Kid Flash protested somewhat, they all agreed. When Robin had terminated the call, he turned around to face his friends.

"Let's get back to the Tower and start planning", he said grimly. "I'd give it two hours, max."

"Before time runs out and the future dies", Raven agreed solemnly.

* * *

Jinx saw her friends vanish before her eyes as a dark environment replaced the dimly lit city background. Before she had time to gain her bearings, though, she was whipped out of what she saw was Mumbo's magical hat and into the glare of the bright sunlight. She blinked several times before her eyes adjusted and she saw nine people standing in front of her.

Six of the nine were the Hive Five, who were still recovering from their brush with Titans East. The other three were Madame Rouge (a person whom Jinx recognized immediately), Mumbo, and a red-garbed woman with flaming hair who must be Ruby. Before she could do much more than register the faces of her enemies, Ruby waved a scepter with a red gem (_A ruby. How appropriate, _thought Jinx) atop it and encased Jinx in a stretchy, plastic-like red bubble.

"Hey!" Jinx exclaimed, gasping at the bubble. Her hands filled with the elastic red material, scrunching the sphere somewhat, but her prison did not give. She drew her hand closer to examine the material. "What is this stuff?"

"Coalesced energy-formed latex treated with liquid plastic", Ruby answered. "Notoriously difficult to manufacture and even trickier to conjure from magic, but it is the perfect prison. Porous and pliable, but unbreakable. Also, if necessary it can be molded to any surface for a safe stick to ensure it doesn't roll away. Fascinating, isn't it?"

"Listen, you…" began Jinx. "Rose or Ruby or whatever your name is, let's get one thing straight – you don't mess with me and get away with it. You think you can just barge into my life and take me away from it? No way. I'm not called Jinx for nothing, you know, and I'm going to make sure you get a heaping dose of bad luck."

"Feisty little one, aren't you?" said Ruby, walking around the sphere.

"Oh, don't be patronizing", Jinx retorted. "'Little one'? Oh, I'm little all right – more than a little pissed off at you for putting me in this dumb sphere! I don't care if you're from the 31st century or not – nobody makes a fool out of me. Now let me out of here!"

"Nag, nag, nag", chanted Ruby in a bored tone. She flicked her hand, and a tendril of the plastic latex bubble wrapped around Jinx's mouth. "Do shut up."

"Well?" inquired Madame Rouge. "What are you waiting for? Convert her."

"It's not so easy", Ruby told her. "Jinx's nature is inherently good – that's why she became a Titan in the first place. To suppress that part of her and bring out the darker side until it dominates her personality will require time and carefully constructed efforts."

"And how much time will it take?"

"No more than 24 hours." Ruby stroked her chin with one gloved finger. "But I need a specific location to do it."

"What does the location matter?" Madame Rouge asked impatiently. "You can turn her evil here just as well as you can anywhere else."

"On the contrary, Madame Rouge", Ruby countered, lifting her finger, "the location is as important as the psychology. The proper location can make or break the villain I intend to nurture in Jinx."

"I will assume that you know what you are speaking of. I suppose it does not matter, anyway. Whichever location you choose, we can be there in the blink of an eye with that teleporter device of yours."

"Indeed", Ruby agreed. "I just have to collect the rest of the team, and then we may proceed."

* * *

The Titans, Legionnaires, and W.I.T.C.H. gathered in the main room of Titans' Tower to discuss how they could take down Ruby for good before she could corrupt Jinx, with Titans East listening in on the plasma screen. Iris had apparently already vacated the place, and while they all thought that was oddly suspicious, they had no time to dwell on it now.

"So we know Ruby's heading to Westminster Palace to convert Jinx back to evil again, only this time, it's going to be worse than just a villain stealing stuff", Beast Boy mused after Kid Flash had been introduced to everyone (for once, he wasn't really curious about the newcomers), pacing around in a Sherlock Holmes detective trench coat and hat, holding his chin between his thumb and index finger. "Am I right? Yipe!" he yelped as a black claw pulled him down, displacing the hat and coat.

"Yes", Raven answered. "And stop pacing like that. It's distracting."

The Legionnaires and Titans East exchanged solemn looks, knowing that Beast Boy could not possibly know just how evil Jinx would become.

"So what do we do?" Beast Boy asked from the floor.

"We'll have to sneak in", said Robin. "Divide and conquer."

"How so?" Kell-el inquired.

"So far, we know that Ruby has Madame Rouge, Mumbo, and the Hive Five on her side. We'll have to assume that she has more teammates", explained Robin. "The way I see it, we need Kell-el to see where Jinx is being held and an additional team to stay out of sight until the right time – sort of like a back-up force, so if the rest of us run into someone we weren't expecting or if we're losing ground, the team can help out and disappear again."

"You said divide and conquer", Timber Wolf pointed out. "If the rest of us split into several groups and lead a few villains each away, we can take them down easily."

Robin nodded. "Exactly."

"Robin, that's brilliant!" Will exclaimed. "We've got our plan all laid out."

"It's not foolproof", Robin warned. "Our hidden team could be discovered, or Ruby could have more villains than we can defeat."

"It's the best we've got, and we've got to try before it's too late, anyway", said Kid Flash, finally truly understanding what this was all about. He did not like to think of the fact that Jinx could become evil. Lightning Lad suddenly realized that he was present.

"Oh, no", he groaned. "We forgot you were here."

"Honestly, does it really matter if he knows what could happen to Jinx?" asked Bumblebee. "Triplicate Girl mentioned during her last call that he could have stayed if he wanted."

"It's probably all right", Phantom Girl agreed. "We didn't reveal anything major concerning him."

"We don't _know_ anything major concerning him", Irma corrected.

"So who's going to be in what group?" asked Cornelia.

"Hmm…" Robin surveyed the people they had. "Starfire, Raven, Irma, and I will be one group; Lightning Lad, Beast Boy, Kell-el, and Hay Lin will be another; Cyborg, Cornelia, Aqualad, and Bumblebee will be together; and so will Timber Wolf, Phantom Girl, Speedy, and Mas and Menos. Will, Taranee, Brainy, Saturn Girl, and Kid Flash will be our hidden team."

"Oh, great, I'm with you", Cornelia sighed to Cyborg.

"Um, not to question your authority or anything, Robin, but I'm not really the type to be sneaking around", Kid Flash protested mildly.

"I know. But you do have super-speed, which will be very useful in the case of a quick getaway – which you will probably need to keep hidden", Robin pointed out.

"Why are there more people in the hidden team than in any other group?" Raven questioned.

"Because they will be the most likely group to encounter unforeseen dangers."

"This plan is feasible, and it has a good chance of succeeding", put in Brainy.

"Great, that's settled", said Bumblebee. "We're using this plan. Now can we please get going?"

"Yes", Cyborg agreed.

"We'll meet you at Westminster Abbey", Robin said to Bumblebee, who nodded and made to disconnect the call.

"Wait!" cried Will. "It'll be much faster if we just fold to the palace itself."

"Fold?" said Kid Flash in confusion.

"Have you been to Westminster Palace before?" asked Raven, knowing that Will could only fold to places she knew.

"No, but it's a famous landmark. I've seen pictures, and besides, I've been practicing folding to unknown places based on a firm image in my mind. I think I can do it."

"Can you fold here?" questioned Bumblebee.

"Give me a picture of it, and I should be able to."

Raven concentrated, projecting a clear image of the East Tower into Will's mind. After several seconds Will nodded.

"I got it. I'll be right back." She sliced through the air with the Heart of Kandrakar and disappeared into the wavy blue fold.

* * *

**_A/N: Lights, camera, action! And I mean that in mroe ways than one. I've found out how to make a video and I am now hard at work making the trailer for this series. I hope to have it out before the end of the story. Thanks to _**_Mirror's Mirage, The Violet Rose, lovegarth-1105, Devilbunny, TheEclipse, DangerZone, **and **leath **for reviewing!**_

**Disclaimer: Nothing doing.**


	15. Big Ben

**Chapter 15**

Ivy sat alone in a dark corner of Raven's room, eavesdropping on the discussion that four teams of heroes were having downstairs via a tiny potted plant on a kitchen counter. In their concern for the future, the Titans had failed to notice it. She knew she would be safe in Raven's room. No one ever entered Raven's room without explicit permission from Raven herself, and she could easily duck out the window if Raven decided to enter.

Ivy had been listening to every single word of the conversation, and several things had fallen into place. One, Ruby planned to turn Jinx evil again. Two, the Titans, Legionnaires, and W.I.T.C.H. were going to rescue her before the future changed irrevocably for the worse. And most importantly, three, Ruby was heading for Westminster Palace.

"London, here I come." She grinned widely and tucked her time limbo device (which she had named chronolimbus, from the Greek root _chron, _for _time_; and the Latin word _limbus, _for _limbo_) securely into a zipped pocket of her dark green, hooded jacket and leaped out of the open window onto her giant plant stalk.

* * *

Less than five minutes after she left, Will arrived back in Titans Tower with Titans East and Kid Flash in tow.

"Come on, guys", she said, gesturing at the still-open fold she had come out from.

"Oh, yeah, let's go kick some Ruby butt", said Irma as she charged at the fold without hesitation.

"I can agree with that", Cyborg assented, approaching the fold slowly. "But are you sure this thing's safe?"

Will raised her eyebrows.

"Okay, okay, I'm going in."

One by one, they all entered the fold, which closed up behind them.

* * *

They landed in a lush, serene forest. Trees of all heights surrounded them, some normal-looking, some of species the Titans had never seen. Somewhere overhead in the canopy, birds chirped gently.

Beast Boy took one look around and came up with one word. "Cool!" He bent down to touch a soft-looking pale purple fern.

"I wouldn't touch that if I were you", Cornelia warned. "That little plant packs enough poison to leave you cramping for hours. The people of Meridian use them to make antidotes and rat poison."

Beast Boy gulped and hastily withdrew his hand.

"So this is Meridian", mused Saturn Girl, admiring the scenery. "I always wondered what it looked like."

"I'm guessing they have inter-dimensional travel in the 31st century?" asked Hay Lin.

"Plenty", Saturn Girl replied. "Meridian is said to be the most beautiful country in the Metaworld, with peace-loving citizens and a gentle and benevolent queen. Apparently it has not been involved in any major wars for almost a millennium."

"That's our Ellie", said Irma. "Laying the foundations for that blissful peace."

"But that peace is not going to happen at all if we don't get to London fast", interrupted Speedy, reminding them of their purpose.

"Right you are." Will opened another fold. "Jump in, everybody. Next stop, Westminster Palace."

* * *

Jinx remained sullen all throughout the teleportation travel. First they stopped by New Jersey to pick up Plasmus, Cinderblock, Overload, and Control Freak, who were in the middle of trying to apprehend Argent in a secluded area outside the city. Jinx recognized the dark-clothed honorary Titan and would have told her to call Robin, but Ruby made sure she was out of sight of Argent. Jinx, however, witnessed Argent's weary form, with cuts and bruises in various places on her body. She had been fighting the four villains alone for a long time. Another minute or so and they would have defeated her. As such, however, Ruby called them off – obviously because she didn't need Argent as bait anymore – and teleported the whole lot of them to London.

They arrived just outside Westminster Palace in the early hours of the morning, when few people were about. From there they snuck into the six am Clock Tower tour group. Ruby magicked the whole lot of tourists (not that there were very many) and the security guards into believing that their group was nothing out of the ordinary, and she imposed an additional glamour on the guards to make them believe they were all English residents, as only UK citizens could tour the famous Clock Tower.

"And we're in", she said in satisfaction as the tour began.

Jinx rolled her eyes.

The tour guide led them up the tower, pointing to this and that and explaining the historic significance of Big Ben (yawning occasionally, as it was still rather early). Jinx, however, was not interested in Big Ben's history. All she cared about was getting the hell away from Ruby. Having failed several attempts at escaping her strange red prison, though, she had to settle for studying the tower's interior and storing the information away for further use.

_Oh, when I get out of this stupid red ball…_

When they reached the top, the tour group spent several minutes admiring the view and listening as the guide briefly explained the mechanisms of the clock before they started the descent. Ruby and her team of villains, however, remained discreetly where they were, Ruby having "encouraged" the tour not to notice their absence.

Once the way was clear, Ruby, Mumbo, and Control Freak worked to cast a complicated glamour on themselves, combining magic and technology to transport them all to a semi-alternate reality, in which they were completely hidden from the public and could carry out their plans without fear of interference. But they could still see any potentially troublesome people through the thin, hazy veil that separated them from the real world. This partial dimensional division was constructed such that Ruby and any of her so-called teammates could break through into the reality they had left if necessary, but anyone outside the glamour could not enter unless they knew how – indeed, most would not even be able to see it.

Jinx reluctantly marveled at Ruby's brilliance for devising such a means of hiding them from the world. She wasn't so pleased when Ruby, after casting the glamour on her minions and assigning them to patrol the perimeter (all except Plasmus and Madame Rouge), directed her attention to her.

"Now, what do we do with you?" Ruby asked – somewhat redundantly, as she already knew what she wanted to do.

Jinx was well aware of this fact, and her only response was to cross her arms tighter and glare even more fiercely at her captor.

"Yes, you're quite right", said Ruby. "I know very well what your part in this is. The question is, how do I get you to do it?"

Jinx knew Ruby knew that too, so she didn't bother answering.

"Tsk, tsk", said Ruby. "Insolence will get you nowhere." She dissolved Jinx's sphere prison with a wave of her scepter, and produced a length of magical red rope instead (actually, she withdrew it from the magical dimension).

"Is everything about you red?" Jinx asked sarcastically.

"Quite." In one fluid motion, Ruby made a loop out of the eerily glowing rope and threw the lasso around Jinx, pinning her arms to her torso. She pulled her captive to a solid bar extension and tied her to it, making several more rounds across her body.

Just then a flat, rectangle-shaped cell phone clipped onto Ruby's waist beeped. She unclipped it and scrolled down the screen, seemingly watching a video for several minutes. Presently she shut it off and reattached it to her clothes.

"Your friends are planning a rescue party, my dear", she said to Jinx. "Unfortunately, they won't succeed. I have you right where I want you, and nothing is going to stop me."

She snapped her gloved fingers and trained her scepter at the glowing coils of rope wrapped around Jinx.

A sharp, searing pain ripped through Jinx for a fraction of a second, bringing her to her knees before it faded abruptly, to be replaced by a gradual, constant drain on her energy.

"What is that supposed to do?" questioned Madame Rouge.

Ruby smiled evilly.

"Watch."

* * *

_31__st__ century_

"Oh, no. Oh no, oh no, oh no. Oh dear."

The Official Library of the United Planets was dull, gray, and run-down as a result of the changed future, but that was not what was making Triplicate Girl's Orange Body (Bouncing Boy and Triplicate Girl had been sent to help Invisible Kid in the library) exclaim in consternation.

"What? What is it?" Bouncing Boy asked worriedly, coming over to Orange Body, who had a large, dusty research volume open in front of her.

Orange Body jabbed a finger at the old, weatherworn text. "Look, Bouncy. Look what it says. Read it."

"Read it?" said Bouncing Boy, squinting at the faded print. "I can't make out a single word. It's so light. How old is that thing, anyway?"

"It's a historic retelling and a scientific study of the Event from the 23rd century", Orange Body replied, still looking worried.

"By Event, you mean…?" Bouncing Boy looked at her questioningly.

"Yes, how Jinx turned evil. That's what they're calling it. Anyway, read it. Read it as if your life depended on it."

Bouncing Boy did so, finding he now had the incentive to decipher the worn writing.

"Oh, no", he agreed.

* * *

The group of heroes trailing after Jinx stepped out of the fold into the bleary sunlight of seven am, London time. Will had been careful to direct the fold to open a little way away from the palace itself, so no one saw them – it was actually quite a stroke of luck.

They made their way to Westminster Palace, with Raven using her powers as an empath to make people "see" nothing as they passed, as Saturn Girl was unable to do it herself. They passed by without incident, and arrived at the base of the Clock Tower in a few minutes.

Kell-el flew up out of sight and swept through the palace with his X-ray vision.

"I can't see Jinx", he reported when he landed back on the ground. "There is a shimmery something at the top of the Clock Tower, but it's nothing definite."

"That must be where they are", Saturn Girl concluded. "That is, if you're sure Hotspot said they were heading for Westminster Palace." She looked quizzically at Robin.

"He said Ruby mentioned something about Big Ben", Robin corrected. "We assumed that meant Westminster Palace, but Ruby could merely have been using Big Ben as a landmark."

"Well, then, we're stuck", said Taranee. "We don't know where she is or how to find out."

"That shimmering thing could be worth investigating", Kell-el argued. "It's definitely not natural. That much I can tell."

"All right, let's head up and check it out", Lightning Lad agreed.

Before they could do so, however, their surroundings suddenly faded from around them, and they found themselves floating in black, empty nothingness for several seconds before being relocated to what looked like the top of Big Ben – except there was a transparent portal present.

"This is a semi-alternate reality!" Raven exclaimed, not so emotionlessly as usual, but still not emotionally enough to break anything.

"Correct!" said Ruby from behind them. She clapped her hands. "Full marks."

The heroes spun around to behold Ruby, Mumbo, Plasmus, Madame Rouge…and Jinx, tied with a glowing red rope and on her knees, her face down. Kid Flash made a noise in his throat somewhere between outrage and concern.

"Aww…worried for little Jinx?" said Ruby patronizingly. She hooked a finger underneath Jinx's chin and lifted her face. Even from this distance Kid Flash could see the defiance in her eyes. "Don't be. She'll be perfectly all right soon enough – and even better and more powerful than before. But to achieve that result, I have to sap her energy – and with it, her will – first."

"Leave her alone!" Kid Flash cried.

"Hmph", said Ruby. "I should think you'd be a little more grateful. After all, you never would be here if it wasn't for me. Did you really think your plan to split up and draw my accomplices away from me would work? You couldn't even find me – even when you'd guessed correctly where I was."

The heroes looked at each other in surprise and worry. How had she known of their plans?

"Luckily for you", Ruby continued, "I simply couldn't refuse the chance to show you a little glimpse of my plans – especially since you can't do anything about them. In a matter of hours, Jinx will be a new person – and there will be nothing you can do to save the future."

She laughed wickedly, and several Titans cracked. Cyborg, Speedy, Bumblebee, and Kid Flash charged at her, but she stopped them all midway with her customary negating flare, freezing them halfway.

"You really are being rather ungrateful, you know", she chided them.

"Shall I dip them all in my hat to blow some magical humility into them?" Mumbo offered with glee.

Ruby waved a hand. "That will not be necessary, Mumbo, they're almost done here." She lifted the flare, causing the four Titans to tumble to the ground, off-balance.

Ruby then went behind a steadily weakening Jinx and held her by the shoulders.

"Say goodbye, everyone, because this is the last time you will ever see Jinx as a Titan."

Then she gave Mumbo a signal, and the blue-skinned magician treated them to another journey through his hat, this one landing them right outside Titans Tower.

* * *

**_A/N: Something evil this way comes. That expression takes on a whole new meaning in this chapter. I'm still trying to find the right converter to make the video, folks, so fingers crossed if it's going to be out by the time this story ends. Keep hoping! Thanks to the usual culprits _**_Mirror's Mirage, The Violet Rose, lovegarth-1105, Devilbunny, TheEclipse, DangerZone, **and **leath **for reviewing Chapter 14.**_

**Disclaimer: *Snort*. Yeah, right.**


	16. Insight

**Chapter 16**

Ivy had been planning and deliberating her every move with extreme care since she had first heard Ruby was in the 21st century. Now it was time to reap the harvest of all those carefully laid plans – her sweet, sweet revenge on Ruby.

Ivy looked around at the English environment she was in. She checked her watch – 8:05. Those stupid Titans, Legionnaires, and Guardians had been missing for an hour. She called them stupid because no one had noticed her lurking around behind them as the Keeper of the Heart of Kandrakar opened folds to get them to London. Once they'd reached the English capital, Ivy had separated from the group of heroes, but she still followed relatively close behind.

She'd watched as the one they called Kell-el (funny how last time she'd fought them, they'd had Superman, but not his clone; and this time, they had Kell-el, but not Superman) had surveyed the palace and presented his report of a "shimmery something at the top of Big Ben" (_I'll bet that's where Ruby is_). She'd heard them discuss and deliberate what they should do and finally decide to investigate the anomaly.

Then a blue-skinned magician wannabe with spiky white hair had appeared above them and waved his top hat, and poof, they'd all vanished. She'd been waiting for an hour to see if they would come back, because she did not want to risk losing her Iris disguise, just in case she needed it again. Ruby's failure in the 31st century had taught her that it was always best to have a Plan B, no matter how good your original scheme was. But Ivy was hoping she wouldn't need Iris much longer; she wanted her revenge, plain and simple. She'd waited far too long already.

So, when not one of the heroes showed by 8:10, she decided to head up to Big Ben herself. Making sure her chronolimbus technology was safely in her pocket, she commanded a replica of her familiar giant stalk to grow just outside the Clock Tower. She was not bothered about stealth – she was a villain, and villains don't hide from the local populace – they terrorize them. She ignored the cries of shock and surprise from the passing Londoners as she rose higher and higher on her plant, intent on beginning her revenge as quickly as possible, but also meaning to exact it as slowly as she could to savor the pleasure of it. And in her haste, and her sudden disregard for stealth, perhaps, was her mistake, but Ivy did not stop to think about that.

She had personal business to take care of, and heaven help any civilian in her way.

* * *

It was a very subdued group of heroes who made their way into Titans Tower. Kid Flash, especially, was not his usual nonchalant, breezy self. He really did care for Jinx a lot.

"We can't just give up", Hay Lin ventured half-heartedly after a period of silence, her normally cheerful, upbeat personality replaced by a much gloomier disposition.

"What can we do?" demanded Cornelia, quick to see the negative. "Ruby has obviously been anticipating our ever move. If we can't take her by surprise, we can't win."

"Well…" began Irma, at a loss of words – which was a rare occurrence for her.

Starfire sighed disconsolately, expressing the despair they all felt to some degree.

They were just wondering whether this was the one time when the side of good would fail, when there was a short, sudden beep. Robin's and Bumblebee's eyes automatically flicked to the plasma communications screen, which was still blank and dark. The other Titans checked their respective communicators, which were all silent. The Guardians pulled out their cell phones, just in case it was a relative calling, but those, too, were not active. Then the Legionnaires, seeing how there were no other communication devices around but not understanding how anyone would be sending any signals to them, looked at their flight/communication rings. And lo and behold, Saturn Girl's ring, once she had lifted it up to eye level, projected an image of Triplicate Girl.

"Where have you been?" the triplicating Carggite demanded. "I've been trying to reach you for hours!"

"Trip, what –?" began Saturn Girl while the other Legionnaires crowded around.

"We've got a major situation to inform you of and you disappear off the face of the time stream!" Triplicate Girl continued to rant out of worry.

"How are you calling?" asked Saturn Girl.

"We couldn't reach Titans East and it wasn't safe to try Titans Tower, so Violet configured a device that enabled the Legion ring tachyon rays to transmit over time as well as space."

"What is so important you had to resort to that?" Phantom Girl wondered.

Instead of answering, Triplicate Girl asked, "Is the Titans Tower mainframe communications computer online?"

"No", replied Lightning Lad, while the Titans wondered where their communications system came into this.

"Good. Because Ruby's got the place bugged."

A brief pause followed this stunning announcement.

"What?" exclaimed Cyborg, coming into Triplicate Girl's line of sight. "How is that possible? My systems would have picked up an intruding bug."

"Even a 31st century one?"

"Ruby's been using 31st century electronic bugs on my sensitive 21st century equipment?" cried Cyborg, aghast.

"Yes", replied Triplicate Girl. "A wave receiver microchip, to be exact."

Phantom Girl gasped. "How did she manage to get her hands on one of those?"

Triplicate Girl shrugged. "She's Ruby. She's accomplished things no other villain has ever done. But anyway, that's not the point. She's been able to track your every move through that computer. Anything in, on, or through it goes straight to her handheld receiver, granting her invaluable access to all of your plans. You've got to stop using the mainframe computer or get the bug out of it."

"So that's how she knew about our plan!" Aqualad realized. "She was spying on us through the computer all along!"

"How'd you find out about this?" inquired Timber Wolf.

"It was in an old research study into the Event, as they called it. It was published in the 23rd century, back when they still used paper."

"Is there anything else useful in that study?" asked Saturn Girl.

"It does give a detailed list of who exactly was on Ruby's team of villains", Triplicate Girl replied.

"Great!" exclaimed Lightning Lad. "Let's hear it."

"Madame Rouge, Mumbo, Gizmo, Mammoth, See-More, Kid Wykkyd, Private H.I.V.E., Billy Numerous –"

"The Hive Five", Robin agreed.

"- Plasmus, Overload, Cinderblock, and some obscure second-rate bad guy called Control Freak."

There were gasps and exclamations of surprise.

"Control Freak?" questioned Speedy and Aqualad simultaneously.

"Dude! Has Ruby finally lost it?" exclaimed Beast Boy. "Who would want Control Freak as an ally?"

"If he was smart enough to make a reality-bending remote", said Timber Wolf, "It stands to reason he's smart enough to do other things, too."

"Yeah, but he sure doesn't show it much."

"Other than that, there's not really much helpful information in the book, but I haven't really gone through the entire book yet", Triplicate Girl cut in. "It's six hundred pages long, for crying out loud, and we needed to get this information to you."

"I see the microchip", said Kell-el, using his X-ray vision. "It's right on top of the main processor."

"How do we get it out of there without ruining my baby?" Cyborg asked.

"I'll do it." Raven sat down to meditate, hovering over the ground in a matter of seconds. She released her Soul-Self and sent it into the computer, where it located the microchip and destroyed it before returning to her body.

"Okay, that was creepy", Irma commented.

* * *

Thousands of miles away, in London, Ruby watched the screen of her cell phone (a.k.a., her wave receiver) fizzle and go dark, and refusing to transmit anymore.

"No!" she exclaimed.

"Something you did not plan for?" asked Madame Rouge.

"A minor, unexpected occurrence, that's all it is", Ruby snapped. "The Legion may have discovered the microchip I implanted into the mainframe computer of Titans Tower, but it's too late for them to use the information to their own advantage. In just a few more hours, Jinx will pave the way for the golden rule of villains." She looked to where her captive was lying, still conscious, but still being drained of her energy and willpower.

"Never", Jinx spat.

"Never?" repeated Ruby, bending down to her level. "Oh, I think not, Jinx. Even as we speak, your will is draining away. You can feel it, can't you?"

Jinx glared at her, ignoring Plasmus, who was standing guard over her.

"Your silence speaks volumes, my dear", Ruby crooned. "Soon you won't be able to resist my persuasion powers, and you will revert back to your lovely ways of evil, only this time, it will be even more glorious."

"How does that work?" Madame Rouge queried. "I would very much like to know now, if you please. I have been watching for several hours, but nothing to explain to me how this works has happened."

"It's very simple, Madame Rouge", said Ruby. "This enchanted rope from the magical dimension feeds on the strength and will of any who are wrapped in its coils. When enough of Jinx's will has been sapped, I can easily turn her to our side and suppress any seed of good within her forever. Then it's bye-bye Jinx the Titan and hello Jinx the Queen of Evil."

Madame Rouge smiled. She liked that thought. The only thing wrong with it was that she would not be the queen.

Jinx, listening to the conversation between the two villainous women, felt herself shudder with horror. That was a fate worse than death. She'd rather die than hurt the friends who had given her a second chance, especially Kid Flash. But though she would never admit it, she was afraid. Ruby was right; she could feel her will to resist being slowly reduced. Soon it would be nothing at all and Ruby would be able to carry out her heinous scheme. Jinx, however, had one shred of hope left.

She refused to believe Kid Flash would ever give up on her.

* * *

Ivy had been watching and waiting out of sight, biding her time for almost an hour as she took stock of Ruby's resources. She had to admit it was ingenious of Ruby to think of a semi-alternate reality. It had taken her thirty minutes just to discover the dimension and another thirty to study Ruby's defenses. But the time she'd spent doing so was worth it, because now, she knew just what she needed to do to corner Ruby and finally get her revenge at last.

Slipping out of her hiding place, she purposefully walked up a flight of stairs in the Clock Tower, knowing full well that this route would take her directly past the invisible group of villains Ruby had assigned to patrol the steps.

Sure enough, she soon found herself caught by the arms by Private H.I.V.E., with Gizmo and Kid Wykkyd beside him.

"Hey, what do you know, we've got ourselves a lone tourist", said Private H.I.V.E., who appeared to be the leader of his group.

"Now that ain't normal", added Gizmo, extending his mechanical legs to get a better look at Ivy. "Hey, lady, what were you thinkin', dyein' your hair black? You look like an alien."

Ivy responded with a tendril of plant vine across Gizmo's mouth.

"Hey, what the –" was all Gizmo had time to say before his mouth was gagged. "Gor gar ouhhga", he choked out.

"Hey, she's got powers!" exclaimed Private H.I.V.E. "That's definitely not normal. She's not a tourist. Wykkyd", he said.

Kid Wykkyd nodded and teleported them all into Ruby's reality.

* * *

After another hour of discussion, the allied heroes in Titans Tower finally came up with another plan. There would be three big groups. Group A, consisting of Saturn Girl, Lightning Lad, Kell-el, Raven, Bumblebee, Kid Flash, Irma, and Taranee, would confront Ruby head-on while Groups B and C – consisting of Robin, Starfire, Timber Wolf, Aqualad, Mas, Menos, and Will, and Cyborg, Beast Boy, Brainiac 5, Phantom Girl, Speedy, Cornelia, and Hay Lin, respectively – would move around the Clock Tower to draw the other villains out and make sure they wouldn't interfere. Once they had established what they would do, Will folded them all to Big Ben again, passing through Meridian once more.

"Good luck, everyone", said Robin as he headed around the base of the tower with his group.

* * *

**_A/N: Whew! I'm glad that's out of the way. I'm telling you, for some reason, this chapter was difficult to write. Maybe it's because almost everybody is in it, and figuring out how to give everyone adequate screen time while keeping in tandem with the plot and length of the story can be a real pain. But it was worth it, don't you think? Thanks to _**_Mirror's Mirage, The Violet Rose, Devilbunny, TheEclipse, DangerZone, **and **leath **for reviewing!**_

**Disclaimer: Uh-huh. Let me tell you something: If I owned any of the cartoons mentioned, this story might not even exist - you'd be getting the epic quadruple crossover animated movie instead. Seriously.**


	17. Four Meetings

**Chapter 17**

Ruby looked up as a flash of light signaled the opening of the fabric of the dimension. "What now?" she sighed in annoyance.

"Sorry to disturb you, sir, but we found this lady snooping around alone at the stairs, sir", reported Private H.I.V.E. "We don't think she's just a tourist or civilian, sir."

Ruby made an impatient noise.

"I told you, it's _ma'am, _not _sir_."

Private H.I.V.E. saluted. "Sir, yes, sir. I mean, ma'am. Sorry, sir – er, ma'am."

Ruby rolled her eyes and sighed again. She turned her attention to the 'not tourist or civilian' and studied her face, then frowned.

"Hmm…" she murmured, stroking her chin thoughtfully with one finger. "You look familiar." She reached out to uplift the stranger's face with her other hand, but the young woman twisted away.

"Oh, come now, I am only trying to see what you look like", Ruby chided, as if she were talking to a child. "Black doesn't go well with your skin tone, does it?"

"Oh, for crying out loud!" exclaimed Ivy. "I _know _that, all right? I _know _it doesn't go, and I really would have preferred dyeing my hair a different color, but black was the only hue that would disguise my true hair color."

"And what is your true hair color?" Ruby asked.

Ivy threw her a scathing look burning with contempt and turned to face her former 'ally' fully, throwing off her hooded jacket. "Take a good long look, Ruby. Study me carefully and tell me you don't recognize me." Ivy knew this was a risk – her plan could just fall apart due to this rash and reckless act, but she didn't care. She had waited too long, and being a vengeful, vindictive person, it took great self control to keep her desire for revenge from overpowering common sense. She had been suppressing said desire for weeks now, and her self control had finally run out.

Ruby tilted her head to the side and examined the face before her carefully. "Yes, I do believe I recognize you. Ivy."

Ivy smiled chillingly.

"What are you doing here, Ivy?" Ruby asked.

Ivy's feral grin widened. "One word, Ruby. Revenge." And she lunged at her, the chronolimbus device in her outstretched hand.

* * *

Hay Lin peeked around the corner, invisible. Seeing the corridor was empty, she shimmered back into visibility and nodded to the rest of the group.

"There's no one here", she told them.

"Oh, really, Missy?" asked a disembodied voice with a southwestern accent. The voice was soon accompanied by a body – several bodies, in fact – clothed in red which had just finished breaking through the weak dimensional barrier.

"Oh, man", Cyborg complained. "I hate this guy."

"Guy?" one Billy Numerous asked the others. "Do we look like _a _guy to you?"

"Sure we don't", replied another Billy. "More like…" – the current Billy Numerouses split into several more each – "…fifty", chorused the horde of Billys.

"Plus one big eye and one miffed guy", added See-More as he and Mammoth appeared.

"Great", muttered Speedy.

* * *

Robin and his group sneaked around the base of the Clock Tower, keeping a careful eye out for hidden villains. They were patrolling the bottom third of the tower.

"This is our third flight of stairs and we haven't encountered any bad guys", said Aqualad.

"No, but we're about to", Will pointed out as the Heart of Kandrakar began glowing and spinning. A few seconds later, Mumbo, Overload, Cinderblock, and Control Freak broke into their dimension.

"Well, well, lookee here", exclaimed Control Freak in glee. "A rematch! And this time, it's my turn to win." His finger moved to press the button on the remote in his hand.

Mumbo moved quickly to head him off. "Absolutely not", he declared firmly, snatching Control Freak's remote away. "I am already in a group with two mindless idiots, and I will not be transported into a TV reality to do my fighting."

Cinderblock growled.

"I meant Overload and Mr. TV Show over here", Mumbo placated the stone giant.

"Hey!" cried Control Freak while Overload just stood where it was, not responding to the jibe. Its electronic chip of a brain was not designed to process this sort of information.

"What? It's a fact. Ow!" Mumbo cried as Timber Wolf's fist connected with his head.

"Good grief", was all the feral Legionnaire had to say as Mumbo slumped unconscious to the ground.

* * *

"Be careful", Saturn Girl warned her group as they stealthily made their way to the top of the tower. "We don't know what could be waiting for us."

Irma twisted to the side to avoid a red energy blast that came out of nowhere.

"You don't say", she remarked dryly.

"It came from over there." Kid Flash pointed at a spot just in front of the middle point on Big Ben's giant clock face. "That must be where the portal is."

Bumblebee dodged another blast. "Ruby's got it covered. We'll have to find a way to get in without getting fried."

"Leave it to me", said Raven as she enveloped them all in a shield of dark energy.

* * *

"Hee-yah!" exclaimed Phantom Girl as she spinning kicked two Billy Numerouses to the ground.

"What's with the sound effects?" Speedy queried, shooting arrows at the duplicating villains.

Phantom Girl shrugged and phased through a Billy only to solidify behind him and knock him out. "No reason."

Even with twenty Billy Numerouses and See-More down for the count, that still left Mammoth and thirty more rapidly multiplying Billys, and these pressed in on the heroes from all sides, forcing them to gather into one group in the middle of a circle of villains.

"This isn't working. There're too many of the same person", Cornelia said in exasperation.

"Tell me something I don't know", Phantom Girl retorted. "Brainy! How do we beat them?"

"Cyborg?" Brainy questioned, ducking a blow from a Billy.

"Last time we did it, we froze him", Cyborg yelled back, in the process of pounding several Billys.

"Great", said Cornelia sarcastically. "Too bad Kell-el's not here."

As the throng of Billys advanced, the heroes' minds raced as they tried to come up with a plan. Speedy's eyes seemed to flash as an idea hit him. Withdrawing several arrows from his quiver, he yelled, "Brainy! Contain them in a force field!"

Brainy, not a little puzzled, did so, sweeping Mammoth and all the Billys into one big pinky-maroon ball. The Billys began multiplying and the force field began to strain.

"Speedy, I hope you have thought about a course of action to take after I imprisoned them because at their current rate of multiplication, they will break the force field in 6.9 seconds and we shall then be left with…"

Brainy never finished his sentence because at that exact instant, Speedy strung his bow and fired six times at the force field prison just as it broke from the strain and disappeared. When things cleared, they saw that Mammoth and all the Billys were frozen solid into one big block.

Beast Boy rapped on the ice, producing a hollow knocking sound. "Dude! What did you do?"

Speedy smirked. "Freeze arrows", he answered. "I fired all I had on hand."

A sudden movement caught all their attention. A pair of long, stretchy black arms extended out of nowhere and pulled first the unconscious See-More, then the ginormous ice block toward it, both of which disappeared shortly after.

"Hey!" exclaimed Hay Lin. "What gives?"

"I smell something fishy", Speedy commented.

"Yeah!" agreed Beast Boy. "Like, French fishy. Those were Madame Rouge's arms!"

"She must have pulled them back into Ruby's dimension", Phantom Girl reasoned. "Let's go!"

* * *

Robin, Starfire, Timber Wolf, Aqualad, Mas, Menos, and Will were all prepared to fight it out with the three remaining villains, but then a red gloved arm poked its way out of thin air and motioned with one finger.

"Hey!" exclaimed Aqualad as Overload and Control Freak obligingly stepped into the unseen portal, while Cinderblock picked up Mumbo and followed.

"Oh, no, they don't!" cried Will, stepping forward. "Come on, you guys! If they can get in, I bet we can, too. It's time to end this."

"Yes, let us stop Ruby once and for all", Starfire agreed as she flew toward Will.

* * *

Saturn Girl, Lightning Lad, Kell-el, Raven, Bumblebee, Kid Flash, Irma, and Taranee had made it unscathed into Ruby's semi-alternate dimension, shielded in Raven's black sphere. But what they found in there was not at all to their liking.

Madame Rouge stood in front, with Mammoth, See-More, Gizmo, and a veritable army of Billy Numerouses behind and beside her. Kid Wykkyd and Private H.I.V.E. were off to the left, between them a familiar figure with black hair that clashed with her skin tone. The huge form of Plasmus was visible behind the advancing horde of villains, while Ruby herself stood at the right, a little farther front than Plasmus.

"Hello, Saturn Girl", said Ruby amiably. She looked around at her collection of villains, then calmly reached a hand into another thin, shimmering portal beside her (she thought smugly how smart she'd been to ensure there were different entrances to this reality). It was rather unnerving to see half her arm disappear into thin air.

"I'm afraid you're going to lose this round", she added as she withdrew her hand and Overload, Control Freak, and Cinderblock (carrying a reviving Mumbo) came tramping in.

"Too bad it's the final one."

* * *

**_A/N: Tomorrow - the big battle! Don't go away, because part one of the resulting crescendo of the suspense I've been building up makes its debut in Chapter 18. You want action? - plenty of it is coming along - tomorrow!_**

**_Thanks to _**_Mirror's Mirage, The Violet Rose, lovegarth-1105, TheEclipse, Devilbunny, DangerZone, **and **leath** for reviewing!**  
_

**Disclaimer: Aw, isn't it so sad? I don't own any of the cartoons or their respective characters.**


	18. Fighting Is The Only Way

**Chapter 18**

Though Saturn Girl's group was joined shortly by the other two teams of heroes – both of which had entered the dimension the same way the villains they were fighting had – the sheer number of Billy Numerouses was a serious disadvantage – and probably Ruby's greatest help. They had to freeze that asset before they ran out of time and were left irrevocably on the losing side of the battle. When Robin pointed this out to the others, Beast Boy snapped his fingers.

"Dude! That's it! We've gotta freeze all the Billys. Speedy did it just a couple of minutes ago."

"But I used all my freeze arrows", said Speedy.

"No problem!" Irma proclaimed. "Hay Lin and I can freeze 'em all in one strike. Right, Hay-Hay?"

"Gotcha!" Hay Lin agreed, flying into the air.

"And I can add some freeze disks into the mix", said Robin, holding three between his fingers.

While Irma doused and Hay Lin blew and Robin threw, the others contended themselves against the rest of the villains. Kid Flash, while zooming in between villains and tripping them, kept an anxious eye out for Jinx, whom he couldn't see amid the mass of people. Saturn Girl dealt blows with her force fields, as did Brainy, while Timber Wolf, Cyborg, Robin, and Beast Boy teamed up to methodically take down Cinderblock. Control Freak zapped Bumblebee, Aqualad, Cornelia, and Starfire into a cartoon of his own creation where all the heroes got pummeled. Taranee was throwing fireballs left, right, and center, while Will and Lightning Lad hurled electricity at any villain within range.

For a while, even with Ruby's big villains – Plasmus, Cinderblock, and Overload – the heroes were able to gain the upper hand. However, when Irma got knocked out by one of Ruby's energy blasts before she could finish freezing all the Billy Numerouses, things took a turn for the worse. With Irma unconscious, and Aqualad trapped in Control Freak's world (which was visible on the wall on a screen which appeared out of nowhere), the heroes had lost their main defense against Overload. And the Billys were quickly becoming a big pest.

Speedy shot arrows as fast as he could, taking down Mammoth with a knock-out arrow and immobilizing several Billys, but he was soon rendered unhelpful by other Billys who, despite the fact that half of them were frozen in Irma and Hay Lin's incomplete ice block, were multiplying faster than the heroes could put them down.

Raven was doing better than most, floating out of reach and throwing projectiles around. She had already tied Gizmo to the ceiling ("Let me down, you crud-munching evil dark witch of a stupid-headed Teen Titan!") and scared See-More half to death, at which point he was completely useless in battle, instead curling up in a corner and trying to forget the horrors Raven had shown him. She had also personally made sure that Mumbo was down for the count before he had a chance to use any of his magic.

Kell-el had frozen as many Billys as he could into green Kryptonite and ice and caused Private H.I.V.E. to have a mental breakdown due to a series of well-placed comments about his ability to fight. He was currently engaged in a messy battle with Plasmus with Will and Lightning Lad as back-up.

Cinderblock was going on a rampage. Having nearly broken Beast Boy's skull and ripped Cyborg's arm apart, Robin and Timber Wolf had been easy to evade. Said two heroes were trying to bring the stone giant down before he trampled all over their teammates, most of whom were too distracted fighting their own villains to notice Cinderblock before he was right behind them.

Overload was probably the one causing the most damage. It was shooting out electricity in all directions, most of which packed enough power to knock a person out for several hours. What was worse, any stray lightning bolts from Will and Lightning Lad that found their way to it was making it stronger, and no one seemed to have any attention to spare for it. In any event, by the time it'd finished its fighting, Overload had defeated Robin, Taranee, Hay Lin, Mas, and Menos, and had freed Gizmo and revived Mammoth.

Madame Rouge presented a formidable opponent to Saturn Girl and Brainy, who had gotten together to fight her. Being Legionnaires, they didn't know the full extent of Rouge's powers and they had no idea what she was like in battle. Even with Brainy's twelfth-level intellect correctly guessing just how powerful and skilled Rouge was early in the fight, they were still having a hard time getting any hits in, especially Saturn Girl, who was not used to fighting without telepathy.

Ruby was watching the entire affair with an air of amusement. In many ways, she was much like Brainiac 1.0, but she didn't know it. What she did know was that while everyone was busy fighting, Jinx was growing steadily weaker, and the more the battle raged, the more Ruby's plan worked to her very desire.

* * *

"Ugh, I hate being in these things", Bumblebee groaned when Control Freak forced them into his created cartoon.

"Me too", Aqualad agreed. He looked around. "Where did that freak go?"

"Right here, Water Boy", Control Freak proclaimed from behind them. He was driving a huge tractor, which was bearing down on them with alarming speed.

"Run!" cried Starfire, leaping into the air herself. She grabbed Aqualad by the shoulders and raced to escape the tractor's snapping metal claws, followed by Bumblebee and Cornelia.

"Oh, you're not getting away from me that easily." Control Freak pressed a button on his remote and a cage fell out of nowhere, trapping Starfire and Aqualad.

"Hey!" Aqualad exclaimed, gripping the bars of the cage.

Cornelia used her earth powers to uproot the cage only to find that they didn't work. She looked up to see Control Freak (who had abandoned the tractor) shaking his finger and saying, "My world, my rules", before he delivered a punch to her.

Cornelia landed about twenty feet away from the cage. She rubbed her jaw. "Ow. Okay, I am so not going to be taken down by some TV fan freak in a trench coat."

"That's Number One TV Fan Freak to you!" Control Freak declared, dodging Bumblebee's stinging energy blasts. He turned around and pressed another button, and a bright blue bolt hit Bumblebee and jolted her out of the sky.

"Take that!" shouted Control Freak as the stings stopped coming.

Meanwhile, Starfire was trying to get out of the cage by using a concentrated ray of starbolt energy. She succeeded in melting several bars to create a hole large enough for her and Aqualad to escape. And escape they did, aiming straight for Control Freak as they charged out of their prison. Control Freak, too busy gloating over Bumblebee's predicament (he had somehow forced her to shrink and wasn't allowing her to grow to her normal size again), didn't notice his two caged jailbirds escaping until a starbolt caught him in the back.

"OW!" yelled Control Freak, clutching his back and hopping around comically. The distraction gave Bumblebee the opportunity she needed to regain her proper height, and enabled Cornelia to harness her earth powers again. This she did, causing a rock to crash onto Control Freak's head with great relish.

"That will teach you to mess with the Earth Guardian", she said triumphantly, dusting her hands with a smug smile on her face.

Control Freak turned in circles several times, dazed, before he dropped to the ground unconscious. His remote fell out of his hand and landed beside him. Starfire bent over and picked it up.

"Now which button shall I press to return us to our own world?" she wondered out loud, carefully fingering each dot on the remote.

"Starfire, be careful", Aqualad said hastily. "We don't want to have to face something…"

Starfire's finger accidentally pressured a button she had not been meaning to press at all, and a figure materialized in front of them – the form of the Ruby Queen herself.

"…nasty", Aqualad finished, staring at Ruby in horror.

* * *

The heroes were not doing well. Though Irma had woken up and managed to finally freeze all the Billys with Hay Lin, despite them both being weakened, Ruby had seen fit to break all the ice with an energy wave, just before she mysteriously disappeared and turned up on the screen on the wall with the four heroes whom Control Freak had trapped in there. With the Billys all free, it didn't matter that Ruby was not around.

Irma and Hay Lin did not have enough power left to freeze all the Billys again, but they did what they could, freezing more than half the dividing villains before they collapsed from exhaustion. The remaining Billys were finally all frozen several minutes later when Kell-el lost his temper and unleashed a torrent of Kryptonite crystal at them, effectively removing the bulk of Ruby's coalition.

Even without the Billys, though, the battle was difficult. Besides Irma and Hay Lin, Brainy, Speedy, Beast Boy, Mas, and Menos were all out of commission. With Starfire, Bumblebee, Aqualad, and Cornelia stuck in Control Freak's virtual reality with Ruby, that left Will, Taranee, Saturn Girl, Lightning Lad, Timber Wolf, Phantom Girl, Kell-el, Kid Flash, Robin, Raven, and a one-armed Cyborg to fight Madame Rouge, Plasmus, Overload, Cinderblock, Gizmo, Mammoth, and Kid Wykkyd. See-More was still too scared to be of any use, and Private H.I.V.E. was still seriously doubting his fighting ability. But although the villains were outnumbered, most of those who were left were either experienced, or powerful, or both.

Madame Rouge, seeing that Ruby was unavailable, took the lead. She ordered the remaining villains to charge before the heroes had time to regroup. She herself engaged Robin in a single combat much like the one they had had at the rocky cliff when the Brotherhood of Evil had still existed. This time, though, it was not so single. But even with Kid Flash bumping into her as she evaded Robin's punches and kicks, Rouge held her own, and the battle went nowhere.

Lightning Lad was firing volley after volley of lightning at Plasmus, but they just flew through the disgusting goo monster and hit Overload instead, which was a very bad thing, as said electric monster grew to twice its usual height.

"Raven!" Lightning Lad called. "How do we defeat this goo guy?"

Raven, busy trying to pin Kid Wykkyd before he teleported away to another position and she had to start all over, looked up in time to see Plasmus, Overload, and Cinderblock coming closer together.

"Oh, no", she muttered as she shielded against an attack from Wykkyd.

"What?" asked Lightning Lad.

"Put him to sleep. Put Plasmus to sleep before he combines with Overload and Cinderblock! Hurry!" Raven warned, before she finally caught Kid Wykkyd in a black claw after some quick thinking and mathematics.

"How?" Lightning Lad demanded. He fired some lightning at Cinderblock to delay the three giants from combining and turned to Saturn Girl. "Imra?"

Saturn Girl dodged Gizmo's flying, metal, serrated-edged Frisbee that was flying overhead and called back, "I can't put anyone to sleep, Garth! No telepathy, remember?"

"Right", Lightning Lad realized. "Great, so now what do we do?"

Raven made sure Kid Wykkyd would not be waking up anytime soon before she telekinetically picked up several heavy odds and ends lying around. "Help me", she called to Saturn Girl over the noise of the battle.

The Legion leader nodded and used her telekinesis to raise the rest of the debris, before she and Raven hurled it all at Plasmus' midriff.

The effect was instantaneous. The various projectiles found their target, and bits of goo splashed everywhere, before clearing to reveal a teenage boy snoring soundly on the floor.

That effectively put a crick in the plans of the villains, as did the fact that Kid Wykkyd was also out. But Madame Rouge was not through yet. She ordered a second attack, and the villains who were still standing obliged. Then several thick vine tendrils wrapped themselves around Madame Rouge.

"What is this?" she asked in surprise and incredulity. "Plants?" She craned her flexible neck to find a dripping wet girl with oddly-colored red and black hair directing the vines.

"I have had quite enough of Ruby and anything to do with her", Ivy announced, throwing Madame Rouge against the wall.

"Iris?" Cyborg exclaimed disbelievingly, noticing her for the first time. He and the others had been too involved in the battle to spare a thought for their dubious ally, though they had seen her when they had first entered Ruby's dimension.

Ivy looked at her hair, off which the black dye was running off, leaving the true red color underneath.

"It's, Ivy, actually", she admitted.

"Poison Ivy!" Taranee exclaimed.

"Your hair!" Phantom Girl added accusingly.

"Yes, I dyed it, all right?" said Ivy impatiently, spraying plant juice on Overload – causing him to shrink – and sending long, sharp thorns at every other villain in the room except Cinderblock, whom Robin and Cyborg took care of with their sonic boom maneuver. As Cinderblock went down, Robin noted that Ivy's giant, thorny stalk was just outside the window.

"Why are you helping us?" he asked, ignoring the villains' curses and angry exclamations of pain when the thorns found their mark.

"Because I have a grudge against Ruby and I'd prefer if she didn't succeed in her plans. That's why." Ivy eyed them suspiciously. "This doesn't mean I'm reforming. As soon as this is all over we're back to being enemies. Now are you going to help me free Jinx or not?"

* * *

Ruby cursed and got very angry when she discovered she was trapped in the virtual reality. She was so livid that she had been zapped in there when she'd been so close to watching her plan take effect that everything just snapped. She forgot about using her scepter and simply let loose a ripple of pure, unadulterated magical energy. Since she was standing closest to Starfire (who had been the one to get Ruby in, anyway), Starfire received most of the backlash. The Tamaranian princess was thrown ten feet into the air and landed some fifteen feet away from where she had originally been standing. Control Freak's remote somehow ended up in Ruby's hand.

"Starfire!" Cornelia cried. She, Bumblebee, and Aqualad had been hit with relatively little energy, just enough to throw them to the ground and daze them for a while. But Starfire…

"I have had enough of this", Ruby thundered. Furious and glowing with an angry red aura of extra power, she presented an intimidating sight. She looked like an extremely peeved Greek goddess, or something equally as powerful and terrifying.

"I have had enough of failing and enough of being beaten by puny little do-gooder superheroes", Ruby continued maliciously. "You get nothing out of being a hero. Most of the time people don't respect you for who you really are."

"That's not true", said Aqualad, as Bumblebee pulled herself up and made her way anxiously over to Starfire.

"I don't care!" Ruby shouted. "It's time for the villains to take their place and I will not step down and allow all that I have planned to go to waste! You have stood in my way for long enough. You, the Legion, the rest of the Titans, Batman, Batgirl, the Guardians of Candroun or whatever…"

"Kandrakar!" Cornelia yelled in correction.

"I don't care!" Ruby repeated ferociously. "The whole lot of you are an interfering bunch of super-powered busybodies, and it's time you met – your – match!"

A whirlwind of pure red energy began to form around Ruby, so angry was she. The heroes had never seen the full extent of Ruby's power, but they witnessed it now. And the truth was, Ruby possessed an enormous amount of raw, destructive power. She was smart, she was skilled, and she was cunning. All together, they made a deadly combination. She was just as potent an enemy as Brainiac 1.0, but she had been holding back. Getting zapped into a virtual reality had been the last straw. She wasn't going to hold back anymore.

When the energy whorl had subsided, Bumblebee, Aqualad, and Cornelia found themselves back inside Ruby's alternate Big Ben with Starfire, Control Freak, and Ruby herself. The others yelled in shock at their sudden reappearance.

"Starfire!" Robin exclaimed as he saw her. He rushed over to her, worry evident in every move. "What happened?" he demanded.

"Ruby went nuts", Bumblebee replied. "She snapped when she appeared in the TV and unleashed a huge explosion of energy. Starfire caught most of it."

Robin checked Starfire's vitals and was relieved to find a strong pulse. Apparently her strong Tamaranian body had shielded her from any permanent damage, but she would be out for several hours.

Meanwhile, Ruby had noticed Ivy's presence. "You!" she cried.

"Me", Ivy said calmly. "I'm done helping you, Ruby, as you very well know."

"But you're a villain!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Even villains get tired of being treated like dirt."

Ruby did not answer that, but turned on her heel to face the corner, where Saturn Girl, Kid Flash, and most of everyone else were trying to release a now-unconscious Jinx from her magical bonds.

"Get away from Jinx!" Ruby yelled, aiming her scepter at the crowd.

Lightning Lad noticed that there was one person in particular Ruby was aiming at. Most of those around Jinx had jumped out of the way instinctively, but Saturn Girl, Raven, and Kid Flash remained – Saturn Girl and Raven because they were too absorbed in some sort of trance trying to figure out how to free Jinx, Kid Flash because he was too worried. But Lightning Lad wasn't concerned about either Kid Flash or Raven, because Ruby was not pointing her scepter at them – it was aimed straight at Saturn Girl.

Lightning Lad leapt into action. In the span of a heartbeat, he'd flown across the room, Ruby had fired, and several people had shouted, "No!" amidst Raven's voice saying loudly, "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"

* * *

**_A/N: Okay, may I just apologize for what may be the biggest and most bothersome cliffhanger of this entire fanfic series? Please don't kill me - you'll only have to wait about 24 hours for the nex update, after all. And I know it's a little long, but it's not that bad, and I hardly think you're upset about the increased length, are you? Thanks to - as usual - _**_Mirror's Mirage, The Violet Rose, lovegarth-1105, Devilbunny, TheEclipse, DangerZone, **and **leath. **Also, a very big, very special Thank You to everyone who ever reviewed on any story in this series, because **Return of the Ruby **just hit 100 reviews! Whoot! Great job, guys! Thank you so much!**  
_

**Disclaimer: Though my cliffhangers might be equal to those of the actual shows, I'm sorry to say I don't own any of them.**


	19. The Final Battle

**Chapter 19**

Barbara Gordon tapped her finger nervously against the coffee table beside the armchair in the living room. Her mother was out shopping, but her father was home. In fact, Jim Gordon was in the living room with Barbara, reading the Gotham News.

"Something the matter, sweet pea?" he asked.

"Er, no, Dad", Barbara hastened to assure him.

"You sure?" Inspector Gordon lowered his newspaper and looked at her.

Barbara bit her lip. "Yeah, I'm sure."

Her father shrugged and resumed reading.

_Except, _thought Barbara, _I'm not sure. But how can I tell my dad that I've got this feeling something's really wrong with the Legion somewhere?_

* * *

_31__st__ century, Official Library of the United Planets_

Invisible Kid looked up as the floor started trembling and shifting. "Uh-oh", he said, throwing himself onto the floor as dust and debris began falling. "What's going on?" he yelled.

"Earthquake?" Triplicate Girl's White Body guessed, trying to steady herself on the shaking ground.

"There was no alert at all", Bouncing Boy shouted from across the room. "We'd know if an earthquake was going to happen. It's been a hundred and fifty years since an unpredicted earthquake occurred."

"Then what's happening?" Orange Body demanded.

"It couldn't possibly be…could it?" asked Invisible Kid, fearing the worst.

"It couldn't possibly be what?" cried Purple Body as the ground shook harder and more violently. A white mist began to creep up from nowhere.

"It is!" Invisible Kid exclaimed. "The timeline's changing! Something's happened in the past!"

"For better or for worse?" Bouncing Boy questioned as the mist filled the room and colors started to blend together.

* * *

_31__st__ century, Legion HQ_

"Yow!" exclaimed Chameleon Boy as a sudden, particularly violent tremor tossed him into the air. "Somebody stop this thing!"

"You idiot!" Cosmic Boy hissed, somehow managing to sound condescending even though he was fighting for balance. "It's the timeline! History's changing, and we're in the way!"

"How come it wasn't like this the last time it changed?" Cham demanded.

"Each reset is different!" Violet responded. "The full properties of the timeline are far from being understood. All we can do is hope that the future is changing to a brighter, better time."

* * *

When the blinding light from Ruby's energy blast cleared, several things had changed. Jinx was still unconscious, but no longer bound by the magical rope, and Kid Flash was still by her side. Raven was panting like she'd just run a mile just behind a giant hole in the floor, and she was supporting herself with a hand on the wall. Ruby was lying dazed several feet behind where she'd been standing, and Saturn Girl and Lightning Lad were off to the left, hugging the floor.

Saturn Girl was the first to recover. She pulled herself up and shook her head, and then realized that her mind felt normal again. She tentatively sent out a gentle telepathic probe, and found that she could once again hear people's thoughts. Her telepathy was back. The second thing she realized was that Lightning Lad was still lying on the floor beside her, and he wasn't stirring.

"Oh, no", she whispered worriedly, edging closer to him. "Garth?" she called. No answer. "Garth", she tried again, louder and more anxiously. She groped for his wrist to feel a pulse and didn't find one. "Garth!"

Numbly, she prodded his brain with a mind probe, trying to telepathically spark it to restart his heart.

"Is he okay?" Phantom Girl asked in concern, coming over to her fallen teammate.

"No", Saturn Girl replied, almost in tears. "He doesn't have a pulse, and I can't get his heart to start again."

Since she was not employing CPR, Phantom Girl quickly came to the conclusion that Saturn Girl had regained possession of her telepathy, but she didn't spare a second thought on that. Timber Wolf came over and tried CPR, but it wasn't working.

"We need to shock him." Brainy had regained consciousness and was thinking quickly and furiously. "Will, can you try…"

He didn't need to say anymore. Will got the message. While everyone else watched anxiously, Will approached Lightning Lad and sent a controlled spiral of electricity at his heart.

"Anything?" she asked. Saturn Girl checked and shook her head no, trying not to give in to the gnawing fear in her stomach.

"Do it again."

Will did. She sent a higher voltage, and then another, but Lightning Lad still didn't respond.

Saturn Girl bent over him and cried, "Garth, please, listen to my voice. Come back, please…Garth, don't leave me!"

Will placed her hands on Lightning Lad's chest and with a silent, desperate prayer of hope to Kandrakar, pushed one last, final bolt into him.

This one worked. Lightning Lad jerked as his heart restarted and gasped for breath as everyone else heaved an enormous sigh of relief.

Saturn Girl really was in tears now. "Garth", she said gratefully, hugging him tightly. After a few deep breaths, Lightning Lad returned the hug.

"Whew!" said Beast Boy, dealing with the tension the only way he knew how. "I thought he was a goner." Cyborg frowned and elbowed him in the ribs with his remaining arm.

Will blew her hair away from her face in relief and gladness. She had been so afraid she wouldn't be able to do it, but the Heart had helped.

Raven was still panting, but she too was enormously relieved. In response to Robin's worried question, she replied, "I'm all right, Robin. I'll explain later."

Brainy exhaled slowly as he tried to calm his nerves. That was the second close brush with death they'd had in less than a year. He wasn't sure if he could handle a third at any time. He made his way over to Jinx to examine her, and pronounced her perfectly fine – as fine as one could be after so nearly causing the destruction of the entire future.

"She'll need some rest and a chance to regain her strength, but she should be perfectly healthy by the end of the month", he declared, alleviating an anxious Kid Flash's worries.

"It was a close call, though", Brainy continued. "Another few minutes and all would have been lost. I still don't understand what exactly happened." He looked at Raven, who was now breathing normally and had her hood up. "Although I suspect it had something to do with Raven."

"We can discuss this later", Raven said. "Hey!" she exclaimed, sending a black claw toward Ruby, who had recovered and was standing tall, the ruby on her scepter glowing.

Ruby avoided the claw and sent an energy blast Raven's way. "I will not be foiled again", she declared, suddenly conjuring a second magic rope from the magical dimension. "I need only wrap this around Jinx for several more minutes, and then the future is doomed."

Kid Flash stepped protectively in front of Jinx's prone form. "You're not getting anywhere near her."

Ruby snorted derisively. "Oh, really?" She lashed the rope, and the end of it sailed over Kid Flash's head and curled as it approached Jinx…

…only to be deflected by Saturn Girl's force field, which she had thrown up around Jinx immediately.

"That's enough, Ruby", the Titanian said quietly. "It's over. You've lost. And you're never threatening the world again."

"You think so?" said Ruby scathingly. She leaped onto her hover board, which had suddenly appeared, and without warning, directed a glowing red wave of energy toward Saturn Girl, who blocked it with another force field and rose into the air as well.

"I've had enough, Ruby", Saturn Girl said. "You've been scheming and plotting against us for more than a year, you've manipulated people, you nearly killed Lightning Lad, you killed me, and you threatened the future and very nearly destroyed everything heroes have worked for. And I've had enough of it."

As she said this, Saturn Girl rose higher and higher until she was at least twenty feet off the floor. Her eyes glowed and she was surrounded by an aura of pink energy, much like she had when she'd defeated Brainiac 1.0. The other Legionnaires, the Titans, and the Guardians watched breathlessly, something telling them to stay out of it, telling them that this was between Ruby and Saturn Girl, and they weren't supposed to interfere.

Ruby snarled and hurled a sphere of energy at Saturn Girl, but she deflected it back to the villain and attacked Ruby's mind.

Meanwhile, Ivy, unnoticed by anyone, was busy taking out her chronolimbus device, ready for when Ruby was distracted enough for her to use it. But she wasn't quite free from scrutiny.

"What's that?" Kell-el asked bluntly.

Ivy jumped and glared at him. "This is what I've been building, okay? It's what I'm going to use to carry out my revenge. This device will create a time limbo bubble that will keep Ruby trapped in between timelines until someone decides to release her." Ivy glanced upward, at the battle above. "And I don't think anyone will want to do that."

"That's very futuristic technology", Kell-el said.

"So? I did spend several weeks in the 31st century."

"Hm." Kell-el said nothing else, but in the blink of an eye, he snatched the device from Ivy's hand (evicting an angry cry from the offended party), flew up to Saturn Girl's level, and called, "Saturn Girl! Read my mind!"

"Give it back!" Ivy cried, sending plant stems to retrieve he chronolimbus device. Kell-el held it out of reach while Saturn Girl entrapped Ruby temporarily in a force field and read his mind.

"Got it", she confirmed, releasing Ruby. While keeping her adversary at bay with illusions, Saturn Girl telekinetically moved the device from Kell-el's hand to hers, before pressing the button and throwing it down on the floor where she wanted it. The chronolimbus immediately burst into a large, flickering vortex of swirling colors.

"Don't go near it", Saturn Girl warned her teammates.

"And what's that?" asked Ruby. "Another illusion?"

"Hardly." Saturn Girl used a series of fields to force Ruby into the light that was being emitted by the vortex. Ruby was very still for a moment before the vortex began sucking her in.

"What in – no!" she cried in anger and horror. "No! You can't do this to me! This wasn't supposed to happen!" As she was drawn farther and farther in, she looked straight at Saturn Girl, glaring at her fiercely with fury and hatred.

"Curse you, Saturn Girl! I'll be back, and then you'll be sorry!" It was an empty threat, and she knew it, but she wanted to have the last word. Her voice faded away as she disappeared completely, and the vortex grew smaller and smaller until it closed, leaving only an innocent looking chronolimbus device on the floor.

Ivy reached for the technology, but a red and yellow boomerang shot across her path. Glaring, she searched around the room for Robin, but was again prevented from doing what she wanted when a strong nylon string shot out of a device and wound around her. With her arms and legs pinned together, Ivy tripped and fell.

"Ow!"

Robin came into her line of vision and hauled her to her feet. Ivy scowled fiercely at him.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" she demanded.

"It's like you said, Ivy", said Robin with a trace of humor in his voice. "We're still enemies, and you're still a villain. And you know where villains go."

"Arghh!"

* * *

Later, when the alternate reality had been removed from the dimensional plane ("It's a good thing it was almost a different dimension, or all of London would have been involved in this", said Timber Wolf), Robin had delivered Poison Ivy back to Gotham Prison ("Make sure you get her a stronger cell", said Batgirl, who, along with Batman, had come to meet Robin there), Batman and Batgirl had come to Titans Tower to have everything explained to them ("I've already missed out on the action, I'm not missing out on the retelling too", Batgirl declared), Jinx had been relocated to the medical room in Titans Tower ("She'll be fine", both Cyborg and Brainy had assured the worried Kid Flash), Cyborg had replaced his arm ("It's a good thing I always keep spares"), Starfire had recovered from Ruby's energy explosion ("Tamaranians have extremely durable bodies", Brainy told Robin), W.I.T.C.H. had gone back to Heatherfield for a bit to freshen up and give their parents and excuse for their whereabouts before returning to Titans Tower with Caleb, Matt, and Blunk ("You mean you had the whole final showdown with Ruby _already_?"), Hotspot, Wildebeest, Pantha, Herald, Argent, and Killowat had called to say they were starting a Titans West team* ("We've been thinking about doing it for some time now", Hotspot admitted; "We'll check in with you when we've settled everything", Argent said), and everyone had been seated in the main room of the Tower, the explanations that came together to form the whole story began.

First, Batman and Batgirl were filled in on everything that had happened. This was for Caleb's and Matt's benefit too, as they had not been present for most of the proceedings, and they were very indignant about it.

"What are we, nonexistent?" demanded Caleb.

"Look, the whole battle just came on so suddenly; we didn't have time to get you", Cornelia explained.

"But you guys did a good job covering for us while we were gone", Will said, smiling at Matt – he was the one who had decided they (meaning he and Caleb) had better provide an alibi for W.I.T.C.H. when the Guardians didn't return when they'd said they would.

After Batman, Batgirl, Caleb, and Matt had been filled in, a discussion about what exactly had happened at the end of the battle began.

"What I don't get", said Kid Flash, "is how Jinx got free. I mean, it all happened so fast, but I'm certain Ruby wasn't intending to do that?"

"I'm sure she wasn't", Hay Lin agreed. "But somehow that blast she fired freed Jinx, hit Lightning Lad, sent her flying, put a hole in the ground, and gave Saturn Girl back her telepathy all in one go. How'd that happen?"

"Most of it was me", Raven admitted, evicting puzzled and astonished looks from her friends. "When Ruby fired, I tried to redirect the energy to the magical rope around Jinx and contain any extra power. I was partially successful. I managed to get Jinx free, but I underestimated the amount of energy and when I tried to contain it, the remaining power went in three different directions. Some of it created the hole in the floor, some hit Lightning Lad, and some rebounded back on Ruby."

"And my telepathy?" inquired Saturn Girl.

"I suppose when Ruby received the energy backlash, it caused her to release some of the power she had stored in her scepter – including the mix of magic and technology she used to disrupt your telepathy, which reversed the effect on your mind and returned your chromosomes to their original arrangement."

"Yes, I was puzzled about that myself", said Brainy. "However, it all makes sense now."

It was dark by the time everything had been satisfactorily explained to all parties involved, and the Legionnaires stood up and announced their decision to return to the 31st century.

"You sure I can't convince you to stay till morning?" Robin asked with a smile.

Saturn Girl shook her head. "No, we'd better go. After changing the timeline so many times in two weeks, there could be a history loop waiting to close, and that can't happen unless we all return to when we came from."

"Time stuff", Beast Boy muttered to Aqualad, who nodded in agreement.

"All right, then, have a safe trip." Robin shook Lightning Lad's hand. "And it's good to know you'll still be around."

Lightning Lad smiled wryly. "Thanks. You take care."

Starfire hugged all of them tightly. "You must promise to visit one day when there is no need to chase villains around."

"We might", replied Timber Wolf. "Goodbye, Star."

One by one, the Legionnaires said goodbye (this process involved several more hugs from Starfire, Hay Lin, and Batgirl; a string of woeful Spanish rattled off by Mas and Menos; Brainy denying he was tearing up after yet another hug from Starfire – "I've simply got something in my eye"; Saturn Girl telling Kid Flash to explain everything to Jinx and to give her their regards; Blunk tugging on Caleb's pants and asking for his smelly reward – "Caleb give Blunk garbage when we get back to Heatherfield?" - and waves and handshakes all round) before preparing to return to their own time.

Kell-el left first, activating his warp key to take him back to the 41st century ("In situations such as these, the first to come must be the last to go", explained Brainy). Then the Legionnaires said goodbye one last time before Phantom Girl operated her time bubble device (which she'd been keeping safely all along) and they all disappeared in a flash of light.

* * *

**_A/N: I am very sorry to say that this is the second-last chapter of the entire series. I know we have all enjoyed this run, but all things must come to an end. Tomorrow's chapter will be the Epilogue - the final resolution of odds and ends before the story closes forever. On a brighter note, I hope yesterday's cliffhanger was satisfactorily resolved. Personally, I thought this chapter was one of my best. But that's just me. Thanks to _**_Mirror's Mirage, The Violet Rose, lovegarth-1105, leath, Devilbunny, TheEclipse, **and **DangerZone **for reviewing.**_

**Disclaimer: No!...sadly.**


	20. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

_In conclusion, history has been preserved and the time stream has remained intact. As far as we can tell, there have been no major changes to the timeline and the history loop has closed. _

_Signed, Saturn Girl, Legion leader in office_

_April 14, 3009_

Saturn Girl saved the data and deactivated the holopad before leaning back in her chair with a sigh. Even though she'd finished compiling the official report on their latest adventure (which was the custom of the Legion; you never knew when old reports would come in handy), and even though it had been more than a week since she, Lightning Lad, Timber Wolf, Phantom Girl, and Brainiac 5 returned to the 31st century, she still had a lot to think about.

First there was the whole business with the prophecies. The faded scrolls in the UP's Official Library (which had been restored to its brightness and splendor) said nothing more about the Legion, so she assumed her part as the Protector of the Universe was done. That, at least, was a relief. Bearing such a huge responsibility on her shoulders was the main reason she had been so stressed out during their encounters with Ruby.

Then there were her duties as Legion leader. She had been re-elected after their first encounter with Ruby, and another round of Legion elections was coming up. She had no doubt that unless she said something, she would be chosen for a third term in office, judging by the stray thoughts floating around. Saturn Girl was seriously thinking of stepping down from her position, even if she was re-elected. After Ruby, she wanted to be a normal Legionnaire again.

She was also dwelling on Ruby's fate. _How horrible it must be to be suspended in time for eternity. _She'd already discussed that with Lightning Lad, and he had replied forcefully that Ruby deserved it. Saturn Girl had to concede that he did have a point, and she was inclined to share his view, after what had happened in Big Ben. After very nearly losing Lightning Lad, she could understand wholeheartedly how hard it had been for him when she'd "died". And speaking of Lightning Lad…

Saturn Girl lifted her hand to see the sparkle of the engagement ring nestled on her finger. Lightning Lad had proposed to her the day after they'd gotten back to their own time (he'd been planning to do it for months now, and had talked it over several times with Cosmic Boy, but Saturn Girl had been unaware of the fact). She'd said yes, of course, and was looking forward to a happy future with her husband-to-be (although, being Legionnaires, their life would be anything but normal). Though their engagement was big news, not many Legionnaires knew about it – only Cosmic Boy, Phantom Girl, Dream Girl, Bouncing Boy, Triplicate Girl, and Brainiac 5 had been informed so far.

All Saturn Girl wanted now, however, was a bit of normalcy to settle down in before the big day, for which they still hadn't set a date, although it would be some time away.

Just then there was a knock on her bedroom door, and she didn't have to be telepathic to know who was on the other side.

"Come in", she called, smiling.

"Hey", said Lightning Lad as he entered. "What're you doing?"

"I just finished the report on Ruby. I'm glad everything's over now – maybe things can go back to normal." Saturn Girl stood up and stretched. "It's been a long year."

There was a comfortable silence for a while before Lightning Lad asked, "Do you want to go for a walk?"

Saturn Girl nodded and smiled. "I'd be glad to."

* * *

Several Legionnaires were relaxing comfortably in the main room, reveling in the fixed future. For some strange reason, of all the people in the 31st century, only the Legion remembered all the time changes. And though they all thought it was odd, they had all agreed to put Ruby and all the trouble she had caused behind them and to not think about any of it anymore.

"So Cosmic Boy, you never told us what you had to check out", Bouncing Boy remarked casually **_(A/N: Remember Chapter 10?)_**.

Cosmic Boy grinned. "I just had to make sure that a certain villain didn't escape prison. I happened to remember from my history lessons that an enemy of Batman's, Phosphorus, was planning a break-out from jail about the time everything happened. I had to covertly warn the prison guards so they could reinforce his cell."

"How'd you manage to do that?" asked Triplicate Girl.

"I sent a not-so-anonymous holopad through the time stream to Batman. He took care of it."

"Nice", Star Boy congratulated.

* * *

_21__st__ century, Heatherfield_

Will sank back into the comfy armchair in Cornelia's living room and grabbed a cookie from the tray on the glass coffee table. W.I.T.C.H. had elected to meet in Cornelia's condominium this afternoon because her parents had gone out and had taken Lillian with them, and they all knew what subject they would likely be discussing.

Sure enough, it inevitably came up.

"Do you think the Legionnaires made it back okay?" asked Hay Lin in concern.

Will shrugged. "Chances are they did. I mean, we got Ruby and banished her to wander aimlessly in the time stream infinitely, Saturn Girl got her telepathy back, and we kept Jinx from turning evil. They should be okay."

"Still, I can't help but wonder…" began Hay Lin.

"Come on, they'll be fine", Irma said confidently. She reached for the last bread stick, but her hand was swatted away by Cornelia's. "Hey!" she cried as the Earth Guardian proceeded to bite into the stick. "I wanted that."

Cornelia raised an eyebrow at her and took another bite. "I know", she said when she had swallowed. "But I got it first."

Will laughed and sipped her box of orange juice. "I'm sure they'll be fine, Hay Lin."

"If it would make you feel better, we do have a Titans communicator." Taranee held up said communicator. "We could call Titans East and see if they can arrange a small chat across the time stream."

Hay Lin smiled. "Nah, it's okay. I think they're fine too. Besides, it might be better not to cause any more mess in the time stream after all that's happened."

"You're probably right", Taranee agreed, putting the communicator away.

* * *

_21__st__ century, Titans Tower_

"I am so gonna whoop your butt at _Super Ninja Fury_", Beast Boy declared, bouncing onto the couch with his player remote in his hand.

"Oh, yeah?" challenged Cyborg. "_I'm _the one who'll beat _your _sorry behind."

"Oh, it is so on!" Beast Boy exclaimed as the game started.

Across the room, Robin was trying – and having much more success than before – to repair the radio he'd been working on before the arrival of the Legionnaires. Hearing Cyborg and Beast Boy's banter, he looked up and smiled. "Glad to see things are getting back to normal."

"Not too normal." Raven, who was at the sink with a glass of water, watched as Kid Flash sped around the room to see how many times he could circle it in one minute. He and Jinx were currently staying in the Tower until Jinx recovered enough to leave. The magical Titan herself was standing in the center of the room, clocking her boyfriend's speed and keeping track of the time.

"One minute's up", Jinx announced. "You made forty-five rounds."

"Not bad", Kid Flash commented. He was leaning against the wall, not winded in the least.

"Not bad at all", Robin agreed, testing his radio to see if he'd repaired it well. He had. "A super-speeder's about the one member I've never encountered in the Legion." He didn't know that his statement wasn't true; XS had been off-duty during the time he'd been in the 31st century, and he'd never met her, nor had the Legionnaires ever mentioned her.

"Tell me about them", Jinx said suddenly, changing the subject abruptly. "And simply and in detail this time; last time, I only got the gist and was lost about three-quarters through. I think I'd like to know about them."

"I would be delighted to perform the traditional telling of the tail", said Starfire joyfully, clapping her hands in glee.

"That's _tale_, Starfire", Raven corrected, withdrawing a book from the folds of her cloak.

"What is the difference? It sounds exactly the same", said Starfire in puzzlement.

Raven's lip twitched. "Never mind", she told Starfire as the alien princess sat down and began "telling the 'tail'".

* * *

_21__st__ century, East Tower_

"Titans!" Bumblebee called loudly as a beep signaled the incoming call from across the time-space continuum. "Long-distance time stream call from the 31st century!"

There was a scramble of feet and noise as Speedy, Aqualad, and the twins rushed to the main room from their various locations in the tower.

"Hey, Trip, what's up?" asked Speedy as he approached.

On-screen, Triplicate Girl grinned. "Just giving you the latest update here. Everyone got back okay, the timeline's been fixed, and the history loop has closed. Not to mention Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl are now engaged…"

"What?" exclaimed Speedy and Aqualad together.

"That's great!" said Bumblebee almost at the same time.

"Yeah. Anyway, you can tell Robin's team and the Guardians that you did it – you saved the future." Triplicate Girl smiled. "Thank you."

_"De nada", _said Mas.

_"Complacido para ser del servicio", _added Menos.

"What they said", put in Speedy. Triplicate Girl raised an eyebrow.

"They said you're welcome", Aqualad translated. "And so do the rest of us."

Triplicate Girl smiled again and closed the communication.

"What in –?" began Batgirl as she saw the newspaper headline: _Batman Stops Phosphorus' Escape Attempt. _"What is this?" she asked Batman, who was working on the computer.

"Oh, that", said Batman after barely a glance. "I guess news leaked out. I got a holopad from Cosmic Boy warning me that Phosphorus was planning to escape. I told the guards to strengthen his cell and keep an eye on him."

"Well, it worked", said Batgirl. "Phosphorus tried to escape this morning, but the attempt failed, 'thanks to the efforts of Batman'", she quoted.

"More like thanks to the efforts of some people from the future", Batman corrected.

"Yeah. Think they got back okay?"

Batman smiled. "I'm sure of it."

* * *

_41__st__ century_

Kell-el browsed through a digital book holopad in the ultra-modernized New Metropolis Digi-Library, looking for some clue that all was well in the 31st century. The 41st century looked all right, but it'd been exactly like this when he'd left, so he had no way of knowing if the future really was fixed.

"Why am I even bothering to do this?" he muttered to himself. Deep down, he knew why. He'd been a loner intent on what had been his sole purpose in life before the Legion. After meeting them, working with them, helping them, he had found that being part of a team was much nicer and better than being alone. He'd made friends, and they'd changed him – for the better. He was in the digi-library to make sure he hadn't lost his friends and teammates, because he knew he cared for them, even if they were a thousand years away.

He turned another thin digital page of _Heroes of the Past, _a digibook which listed in alphabetical order all the known heroes and gave a short biography and dates with each entry. It also included a section devoted to brief profiles of superhero groups and teams. Kell-el was still looking for the listing for the Legion of Superheroes.

"Dumb digibook", he grumbled, scanning through the index. Seeing _Legion of Superheroes _printed in one corner, he tapped it twice with his finger and the entry came up. "Finally!"

_The Legion of Superheroes, begun April 25, 2993, was a large group of superheroes that was funded by universally-known millionaire R.J. Brande. The three founders, Rokk Krinn, Garth Ranzz, and Imra Ardeen (more commonly known as Cosmic Boy, Lightning Lad, and Saturn Girl, respectively) met as preteens on a galactic cruiser on which Brande was also traveling. The trio saved Brande from an assassination attempt and uncovered the truth behind the endeavor. Finding that they worked well together, the three recruited several other super-powered young people to form a group and Brande decided to financially support them. Among the Legion's ranks were Brande's son, Reep Daggle Brande, and then UP President Winema Wazzo's daughter, Tinya Wazzo. Brainiac 5, descendant of the feared Brainiac 1.0, defied his ancestor's legacy and also became a member._

_ The Legion was one of the most famous superhero groups of all time, and its legacy shines brightly. Its members were active for well over sixty years, with each generation of Legionnaires saving the universe from supervillains more than once. It was officially disbanded on November 13, 3069, at the end of the Second Age of Heroes. It was the last such group of superheroes; indeed, no other hero or group has achieved the Legion's glorious status as a recognized superhero/group since it was disbanded. Legion Headquarters, established in New Metropolis of the United States on Earth, still stands as a museum dedicated to this outstanding group._

"Well, what do you know? They made it."

* * *

**_A/N: Moment of silence..._**

**_So, here ends this wonderful tale. The third installment, I am sorry to say, is the final one. I am hereby putting my account on a semi-hiatus in order to work on my original novel, which I hope to get published. Maybe someday you'll read it. Thank you so much to all my wonderful, loyal reviewers, who helped make this series a success. Everyday, when I check my email, I read my reviews and I glow from all the praise you guys heap on me. Thanks so much for helping make this a reality. And because you've been so awesome, I'm not going to abandon this story completely. _**

**_There were a lot of little scenes and moments which I didn't add in, because they were not necessary to the story. I will be posting a new story soon, under the Legion of Superheroes/Teen Titans crossover archive, and I will be updating this irregularly, when I have time to write the little scenes. If possible, put me on author alert so you don't miss these little hidden clips of the Legion universe - Peony style. If not, just check back frequently. _**

**_Also, the video trailer for this entire series is now out on Youtube. Do check it out and tell me what you think of it. Just go to Youtube and search "A Hero Prophecy", and click on the one by Peonywinx.  
_**

**_And I don't want to keep you for much longer so I'll just say this once more: Thank you._**

**Disclaimer: Sigh. No.**


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